So - did that just happen?
by Lysistrate
Summary: A group of old friends reunite after three years in Norway where Hiccup, one of the members, now live. Though their visit will be a little different than they planned as it turns out they have not been informed about one important detail. He is engaged. Modern, AU, Collection of one-shots following the life of Hiccup and Elsa through hardships and love.
1. Chapter 1: Old friends

**This was written in three hours, very much on a feeling and has only been read through once, so you have been warned! But I got this idea and I just had to write it down. For those of you who are waiting for an update on "Like growing frost", don't you worry, it will be up tomorrow!**

 **See this as a small treat, a steamy little treat ;)**

* * *

"So… that's a bummer!" Astrid said as the whole group that was with her stared at the sign on the door to the bar that read: "Closed for personal reasons, opens in a near future."

"It's like the world has decided to throw us into the dark!" The biggest man of the group, who was called Fishlegs since he once had thought that fishes really had legs, said with groan.

"Maybe it is the apocalypse and we are the only ones who are still alive!" The other blond man of the group exclaimed, his twin sister hitting him hard in the head at his words.

"I hardly think the zombies would attack a pub the first they did." She said angrily.

"What would they attack then?" Her brother, who was called Tuff for the fact he never complained about all the hits he got from his sister, asked her with a grin.

"A hospital, easy prey." Ruff, who was called this for the hits she so often delivered, said with a grin back.

"That is so awesome, we would survive the apocalypse in no time for we have never been in a hospital." Tuff answered, the two doing a high five.

"Hello, we have a real problem here! We have nowhere to go because apparently people in this strange country don't have anything open on Sundays, so stop fooling around!" The bulkiest of the group said angrily. "I don't even know why we agreed to come to this strange place."

"Because when you wanted a reunion and you found out that Hiccup had moved to Norway, you decided that it was an excellent excuse to go on a trip and not pay too much for it." Astrid replied with a raised eyebrow as the man they called Snotlout glared at her.

"Hey I'm not the one to blame here, if anyone is to blame, it's Hiccup for not telling us nothing was going to be open." He said, crossing his arms over his chest just as a mini buss drove into the parking lot. A young man with unruly dark brown hair jumped out of it and rushed over to them. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a button down shirt, his green eyes shining happily at them through his glasses.

"Hiccup!" Astrid exclaimed, running to meet him as she gave him a huge hug that he returned.

"Good to see you Astrid, and the rest of the gang as well." He told them all with a smile as they all greeted each other happily.

The group had grown up together in the states where they had met in kindergarten and, despite their differences, been inseparable ever since. Well, Snotlout and Hiccup had only forced themselves to get along for the sake of the others, the reason for the tension between them being that their father's, who were brothers, pretty much loathed each other for some reason they had refused to share.

The one Hiccup had gotten along with best was Astrid, and she was also the only one who Hiccup had kept in contact with since he had moved to Norway three years ago.

The reason for the move to the other side of the world had been a job offer he simply couldn't refuse. Hiccup was a flight engineer and had graduated the top of his class back in the states. He had also won a huge science contest during his years in collage, which had been the reason the Norwegian company had gotten their eyes on him.

Of course, his friends and his parents had been very sad to see him go, but his mother had always made it very clear that he should follow his dreams, so not long after the offer had been given, Hiccup had been on a flight to Norway and he had never been happier with a decision in his entire life, but he had missed his old childhood friends very much.

So when Snotlout had taken the initiative earlier that spring for all of them to meet again, highly insinuating that a trip to Norway would not be misplaced, Hiccup had after some consideration decided to invite them all over, making it clear that he could not house them all in the apartment where he lived.

Still, the gang had decided that it was a fair deal and the trip had been planned.

"This land is freakishly freezing and I really need to go the bathroom so could we just go now?" Snotlout whined when they all had greeted each other, Hiccup and Astrid rolling their eyes at each other behind his back, both thinking that some things never to changed.

"Just put your stuff in the trunk and I will drive you into town so you can drop them off at the hotel." Hiccup said, the group chattering happily as they somehow managed to get everything into the small buss, including themselves, before driving away from the small airport and into a lavish green landscape.

* * *

"How can it already be dark outside? I mean it's like the sun has been swallowed by a giant wolf or something." Tuff said, looking at the clock that showed it was only four in the afternoon as Hiccup chuckled.

"It's the time difference and we are high up north so the sun goes down a lot faster." He replied.

"So that's how the polar beers can feed on the humans, it's the darkness!" Tuff exclaimed as the rest of the group just stared at him for a moment before they started laughing loudly. No matter that they had grown up with the man, no one still understood how Tuff's brain worked at times, not even Ruff. "What is so funny?" Tuff asked, confused.

"There are no polar bears in Norway, they live far further up north." Fishlegs grinned as Tuff looked at him with a suspicious expression.

"That's just what they want you to believe." He answered and Hiccup shook his head as he walked out of the living room, bringing with him some of the empty beer bottles that stood on the table.

"It was really kind of you to invite us all over, both for the whole week and tonight when the bar was closed." Astrid said, having followed him into the kitchen, carrying some of the empty plates that they had eaten on. When it had been clear that his friends had not eaten anything earlier that day, Hiccup had ordered take out from a local restaurant close to his apartment instead.

"Well, it was not as if I could go back to the states right now, being the best man at your best friends wedding takes some time, and I think he would kill me if I left." Hiccup grinned at her as he put the dishes in the dishwasher, telling Astrid where to find the coffee and the coffee maker.

"I can only imagine, though I thought I was your best friend." Astrid chuckled as she measured up the right amount of coffee, looking with some envy at the white MoccaMaster. She knew that Hiccup had a good salary from his job, after all it was not as if he had moved to Norway for free, but his apartment showed that it was probably more than she had expected.

The apartment itself was huge, with four rooms. It was high in the ceiling and there was an old fireplace in the living room and one in the bedroom. The floors were old oak and even though the kitchen had a slightly retro style, it was clear that it had just been renovated.

Still, all Astrid could feel was happiness that things had turned out so well for her best friend. Though she would lie if she didn't say she wanted the coffee maker, after all coffee was her best friend, after Hiccup of course.

"You are my female best friend." He replied to her earlier remark with wink as Astrid nudged him playfully in the side, feeling how much she had missed the easy interaction between them. Growing up, Hiccup had become the brother she never had, and she loved him like family, but it wasn't until now she realized just how much she actually had missed him these past three years.

"I am just happy to be here; I have missed you Hiccup." She said, and seeing the sad look on her face, he walked over and gave her a tight hug, which immediately made her feel like home. So many times, Hiccup's warm arms had been there to comfort her when she had been sad or angry, like the time when her first boyfriend cheated on her or when she had wanted to destroy her entire room after finding out that her father had run off with a younger woman.

Over the last three years, there had been no Hiccup to comfort her with his familiar warm embrace, instead she had only been able to reach him over the phone or with the help of video chats on the computer. In the beginning it had been strange to not have him near, but when she had met her boyfriend two years ago, she had had an easier time accepting that the man she usually told everything to was not lost to her, he was just simply not there in the room.

"I have missed you too shorty." Hiccup said when they let go off each other, Astrid hitting him on the arm when she heard nickname he had given her in his teens when he suddenly had grown to be tallest one in their entire group.

"Love is still in the air I see." Snotlout's voice was heard from where he had turned up in the doorway.

"Well you know, someone has to spread love around here and not just stupidity." Hiccup grinned at his cousin who looked like he didn't fully understand what Hiccup had meant, not that it surprised Hiccup the slightest. "Can you two take these out to the living room? I just have to start the dishwasher and put some things away." Hiccup said to Astrid and Snotlout, gesturing to the coffee cups and the cake he had picked out of the fridge.

"So this is what you get when for flying halfway across the world; servant duty! Well, I shall tell you…" Snotlout said as he and Astrid walked out of the kitchen, Hiccup shaking his head at his cousin who, it had turned out, had not changed much in the last three years.

Snotlout had told him that he was now working as a police officer and that he had gotten married the year before, Hiccup remembering that he had been invited to the wedding but been unable to attend. Apparently, Snotlout and his wife was now expecting their first child together, and even though he had tried to hide it, everyone was able to see that he was very excited.

Fishlegs had stayed in collage, researching and teaching Norse mythology. He had also met his girlfriend at the university and the two had moved in together a few months ago. According to Astrid, the pair was made for each other and she had never met a woman who could handle Fishlegs' nervous side better than Marie, the woman herself being as solid as a rock.

When it came to the twins on the other hand, it was a bit more unclear what they did. They had talked something about developing a new form of art, but they had been very unclear on the subject. At least Ruff had found love in a woman her age that was just as interested in art as herself, while Tuff was still extremely happy living the single life.

Before walking out of the kitchen to rejoin his friends, Hiccup threw a look at the clock that showed it was half past four and he felt a sting of longing before taking the coffee pot and leaving the kitchen.

For the next hour, the gang talked about their high school days, Hiccup often being the subject of a laughter considering he had been a very, very awkward teenager. In his youth it had bothered him, but now he only laughed along with the others since, indeed, many of the situations he had gotten into had been very strange.

As Snotlout, Fishlegs and Tuff began talking about the time they had sneaked into the girls locker-room, something Hiccup had refused to take part in, Hiccup got a call on his phone and he walked out on the balcony, which was attached to the living room, closing the door behind him so he would not disturb the others who were laughing and joking.

As soon as he had closed the door behind him though, the others turned quiet as they heard the sound of a key being put in the lock of the front door, before they could hear it open and close. A soft female voice, with a slight foreign accent, suddenly drifted into the living room as all of the gang stared at each other with surprise, for they had had no idea there lived anyone else in apartment, even less a woman.

Or there was one person who wasn't looking surprised, instead she was looking at the others with a smug expression but they didn't notice.

"Merida I have already told you, Jack doesn't think sometimes… No, I don't mean that you should give him a hard time… Look, he is just nervous, no matter how much he tries to act casual in all of this… well you are getting married, it would be a lot weirder if he wasn't nervous… Yes, I am coming tonight, I promised remember. Besides I really need a drink…."

Suddenly a pair of high heels came flying down the corridor as the group looked at each other, wondering what they should do. As one, they looked at Hiccup who was standing with his back to them out on the balcony, gesturing widely in the air. Perhaps it was better not to disturb him.

Though they soon shared a stressed look with each other instead when they heard the voice in the hallway once more.

"Thank God…" It moaned before it turned shocked. "What?! No! Don't be stupid! I don't even think Hiccup is home yet, he was meeting up with his old friends from the states today remember?... What do you mean what did I do? I took off my shoes! I love my heels but they kill..."

There was a long silence before the voice spoke once more, now with a sarcasm that very much reminded them of Hiccup. "Thank you very much Merida, now I will never be able look at your front door in the same way. You know, just because you and Jack are like animals, everyone else doesn't have to act the same way."

The sound of someone ruffling through a bag could be heard, Hiccup's friends looking awkwardly at each other, but still they kept quiet for they had to admit that they wanted to hear what would come next. After all Hiccup had never been one to share much about his personal life to anyone except for Astrid and they had all just assumed he was, well, a little dull.

"That was one time!" The voice suddenly exclaimed, sounding horrified. "…No of course not! Wait! How do you even how about that?... No, you know what?! I am not talking about this anymore! Go hassle Jack or something and I will see you tonight." The sound of someone putting down a phone was heard from the hall along with a loud sigh.

"I swear to God that this wedding will be the death of me." The female voice said as soft footsteps was heard walking down the corridor, the group looking at each other in panic, for there was nowhere to hide should the female look into the living room.

Then, just as she came into view, her phone began ringing again and she looked down at it as she walked past. They heard how she answered it before the room to the bedroom was opened and they waited for the sound of it closing, but it never came and they stared at each other.

Even if they had just gotten a glimpse of the woman, it had been more than enough to see that she was mesmerizingly beautiful. She had long white golden curly hair that fell down to the middle of her back and her lean long body, which had been covered by a perfectly fitted dark blue suit, had looked to be extremely graceful for her height.

"Did we just hear what I think we heard?" Ruff managed to croak out, everyone finally noticing how Astrid was doing her best to hold back her laughter.

"Wait, you knew about this?" Tuff asked, but before Astrid could answer, Hiccup came in from the balcony, a tired expression on his face as he walked past his friends and shuffled around in the kitchen before returning, stopping in the doorway into the living room as he finally noticed that his friends were looking at him with slightly stunned expressions.

"You know, the staring might have been funny when I had braces, but are we not a little too old for this?" He asked.

"Hiccup?! Are you home?" The female voice was suddenly heard again along with fast approaching footsteps as the blond woman came into view once more, her suit now replaced by a knee long teal dress that covered her shoulders and arms, but it was of a tight model that showed her flattering figure. Her long hair was still flowing free, but it had been brushed and the locks fell in ringlets down her back.

When she reached their friend, she sneaked her arms around his waist and leaned in to kiss him, Hiccup drawing her closer to him as he responded eagerly to the kiss. Still he ended it very quickly since he knew his friends were watching.

"I missed you today." The woman whispered, the couple seemingly lost in each other as Hiccup pushed back her hair behind her ear, the action looking so natural that it had to have been done countless of times before.

"I missed you too, how was work?"

"Boring, my Chief wasn't there for he had taken the day off to meet some friends." She said with a grin as Hiccup chuckled and gave her a kiss on the forehead, the woman getting a slightly dazed expression at the action that made Snotlout unable to contain himself and he gave a loud whistle.

"Hey, we are still here you know." At the sound of his voice Hiccup simply laughed as the woman next to him looked at them all with shock.

"Sorry, this is Elsa, my fiancée. Elsa these are my friends from the states. Snotlout, Fishlegs, Tuff, Ruff and Astrid who you have spoken with on the cam." He said as the woman, Elsa, suddenly looked slightly embarrassed, probably realizing the group had been present the whole time, meaning the _whole_ time.

"A pleasure to meet you." She still managed to say, fighting back her blush with all her might. She was after all a lawyer for goodness sake, she was a master of concealing her emotions, she did it every day.

"Indeed." Astrid grinned, Hiccup looking a little suspicious at her smug face, recognizing the look, but deciding not to say anything.

"I am sorry that I have to leave so quickly though, but I am meeting some friends soon." Elsa said, realizing that the group probably already knew this and at their held back smiles, she knew she was right. Still their expressions ignited a small spark in her, for even if she still felt embarrassed, she might as well have some fun while she could, for from what Hiccup had told her about his friends, she knew they all had a very faulty view of her fiancé when it came to relationships.

"Hiccup, could you sip me up?" She therefore asked innocently, pulling her hair to the side as the grins on the others faces fell away and it was their turn to fight back a blush, their eyes trying to look anywhere but at her. At the glare Hiccup sent his friends at their stares, Elsa couldn't help to feel a bit giddy as she always did when he got jealous, for she liked to see him a little relied up.

Fortunately, she knew the feeling was the same the other way around for she had more than once been forced to drag other women away from her fiancé over the years and he had always thanked her for her rescue afterwards.

Pulling up her sipper, Hiccup's left hand traveled to her waist, the warmth sending tingles through her body, as he placed his right hand on her cheek and turned her head around so he could give her a small kiss. Elsa smiled at his small claiming as she sneaked her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss a little before she drew back and fixed his glasses.

"Thank you." She whispered to him with a smile as she gave Hiccup a kiss on the cheek, knowing that the slightly dazed look in his eyes must be in hers as well, for her inside was burning as she went to get her coat. "Now take it easy with the alcohol guys, I don't want all of you to be in the blue when I come home." She shouted to them, laughing to herself when she closed the door behind her.

Back in the living room, Fishlegs gave a low whistle.

"Damn, Hiccup…" He simply said, looking at the spot where Elsa had disappeared.

"Where did you find her?" Tuff asked, looking at Hiccup with huge eyes.

"She actually found me, or she ran into me two weeks after I had gotten here so I spilled coffee all over myself. As an apology she took me to a café and we just… hit off." Hiccup shrugged as he got a confused look on his face. "Wait, you didn't know?" He asked, looking around at his friends.

"How could we know?! You didn't tell us." Ruff exclaimed.

"No, but I told Astrid to tell you." He replied, all of the group turning to look at her with accusing glances.

"It must have slipped my mind!" She answered innocently at their glares. "And just out of curiosity, what was it that happened that one time between you and Elsa that involved a front door?" She asked an evil grin as Hiccup first looked extremely confused before his face turned beat red.

"Uhmm… I have no idea what you are talking about." His expression suddenly turning evil as well as he grinned back at her. "Or I will tell, if you tell us what happened between you and Luke on Christmas Eve at your mom's house."

This time, it was Astrid who turned red as the rest of the group started laughing.

Perhaps not telling your friends everything was not so bad after all.

* * *

 **This was so fun to write, I just love this little short from beginning to end, perhaps not my best work, but sometimes it's the feels that are most important!**

 **Also, Elsa's native language is Norwegian, but Merida is from Scotland so therefore - english.**

 **Please tell me what you thought, did you like it or not? What do think of Elsa and Hiccup? I think they are just too cute together!**

 **Until next time!  
/Lysistrate**


	2. Chapter 2: The coffee stain

**I've been fully absent from this site since Christmas, so if I haven't gotten back to you on anything that's the reason. So I will get back to all reviews and PM:s sometime now after New Years Eve, this is just a short stop!**

 **So like I've said to some, I had a vision of these two meeting and when I had the time I would publish it, now here it is! I couldn't help to write it down, despite telling myself to keep of this site completely until the new year, so see it as a small gift to celebrate the new year! Also I think I'll have to change the short summery for this story, I've so many short ideas with these two in this universe that I wish to write haha!**

* * *

 **3 years earlier.**

It had been two weeks, two weeks and he was still having a little trouble getting around the at his new workplace. Sure the science facility was huge so it was understandable, but Hiccup still didn't want to be late to the meeting that would start in only five minutes. He was meeting with the owner and CEO of the company that had just hired him. Sure the man probably wouldn't care too much, he was so happy that Hiccup had started working for them that he probably wouldn't care much about anything now in the beginning, but Hiccup still didn't want to be late.

It had been pure luck that the company had found him at all. He had never had any ambition to enter the international engineering contest that had been hosted by his school earlier that year and through which he had been discovered. In fact, he had only entered the competition because he and a couple of friends had turned it all into a contest between themselves.

The winner would be allowed to travel the first part on the road trip they were planning after graduation for free, and have free access to a fair amount of alcohol the time they had left to study.

Once he had been in the competition though, Hiccup had done the best he could like he always did. Still, he had not expected to win it, even less that one of the owners and the CEO of an international science facility in Norway would insist to hire him. And it hadn't been the only offer he had received, in fact he had received many other equal offers.

His school had strongly promoted that the competition was an easy way to succeed after graduation, but it had never occurred to him that winning would give him so many opportunities.

In the end, the man who had first approached him had offered him the best deal. The only thing that had made Hiccup hesitate was the fact that he would have to move to the other side of world, but after much encouragement from his friends, Astrid and his parents he had accepted it.

Once the contract had been signed, Hiccup had realized that his future was secured without him even having graduated. The feeling had been strange and taken some time to get used to, but in the end it had been replaced with excitement. He would learn at one of the best facilities in the whole world, it was an opportunity unlike any other.

The day he had stood on the airport with his family and all of his friends, both the old gang from his youth and the new ones he had gotten in collage, had been tough. His mother had cried and his father had nearly done the same, but at the same time they had been certain to tell him once more how extremely proud they were of him and that they wanted him to go.

Saying goodbye to all of them had been extremely hard and when he had given Astrid one last long hug, he had been unable to hold back a few tears of his own.

Since they were children, he and Astrid had been inseparable. She was his sister in every sense of the word except for in blood and all their lives they had been there for each other. He loved her, it was as simple as that, and knowing he would not see her every day had been heavy.

Right before he had boarded the plane, they had all promised to come and visit him when they could. He had known that they all meant it, but he had also known it would be a long time before he saw any of them in person again.

When he had arrived in Norway, he had been tired after the long flight and been happy to be greeted on the airport by a private driver the company had hired to drive him to his new apartment.

Now two weeks later, Hiccup was slowly starting to settle in. Each day was still with full of new impressions, and him trying to understand the new land he now lived in, but it was starting to come together. Even his small apartment.

As it had turned out, Norway was not extremely different from his own home, but it was still different. The people here were happy and open, but there was a distance that was much more prominent than where he came from and he had quickly learned that it was a fine line to walk.

But then again, he had only been here two weeks. Knowing things would work out, he took a sip of the coffee he had just bought in the cafeteria, frowning at the taste. He really needed to find somewhere else to buy coffee. This brew tasted burnt and it wasn't even warm. It was actually quite impressive that the woman who brewed the coffee always managed to make it taste horrible in one way or another. Not that Hiccup would ever dare to tell her that, the woman was an utter...

He was just about to round a corner when someone bumped into him so harshly that the coffee in his mug flew over his shirt, leaving him with a huge stain all over his stomach.

"Ohh, nei! Det var mitt feil! Beklagar, låt meg hjelpe dig."

Looking up, he blinked two times as he took in the vision of the woman standing before him. Her face was flushed with embarrassment and distress as she looked at him with glowing blue eyes. Her hair was an unusually pale colour of blonde that fell down her back in a long thick braid. She was tall, nearly as tall as himself, and she was dressed in a suit that was so well cut it showed off her flattering figure in the most elegant way he had ever seen.

In other words, she was beautiful. Normally he would have stuttered, but at her flushed face and her distressed expression as she apologized to him, or he thought she apologized, he only smiled at her in amusement.

"I mean in no way to be rude, but I don't understand a word you're saying. However there is no need to apologize, this wasn't very good anyway." He told her holding up his mug a little to show he indicated the coffee.

At his response, it was her turn to stare at him for a second before a smile of relief spread over her face.

"It never is, I think the old lady burns it on purpose, and I could've been angry at you just now for all you know." She replied to him in English, a glint of humour in her eyes.

"If you were you wouldn't have told me." He replied, his response causing a dazzling smile to spread over her face.

"You're a wise man…" She began, trailing off.

"Hiccup." Hiccup filled in, reaching out his hand to her, a look of recognition falling over her face as she shook it firmly.

"You're the new employee from the States! I'm Elsa, one of the lawyers working here. I wrote your contract." She told him. "Yours is a name one remembers." She clarified to him at his questioning look, causing him to awkwardly rub his neck.

Of course she would remember his name, everyone always did.

"Yeah, don't ask what my parents were thinking. They wanted something unique and found some old relative of ours who was named Hiccup. They found it funny and went for it without any thought about their son." He replied with a slightly embarrassed smile.

"It is very unique." Elsa answered him with glittering eyes, Hiccup seeing how she was trying not to smile.

"You know, you're not really making it any better." He therefore told her with a pointed look that caused her to laugh.

"Sorry and also I really am sorry about your coffee and your shirt." She told him with a sheepish expression, feeling very guilty when she looked at the big coffee stain that now covered him.

"Nahh it was not my favorite shirt anyway, though I was on my to meet with the CEO. I'll just tell him what happened." He told her, shrugging his shoulders as he looked down at the stain.

Looking at the young man before her, Elsa was amazed that he really didn't put any blame on her at all. The way he said the words she could hear he wasn't even trying to give her a bad conscience. He was just stating a fact and it only made her more determined to make it up to him.

"You know what, I'll call our CEO, tell him you're late and I'll find you a shirt you can borrow. You're about the same size as my brother, a little taller but it should fit."

In response Hiccup stared at her with wide eyes.

"There really is no need for that." He said, but Elsa just smiled at him.

"Yes there is since I ruined your cloths. Besides my brother works here so it won't be any extra trouble. It's the least I can do." She told him, feeling something flutter within when he smiled at her gratefully.

"Thank you." He said and she couldn't stop the smile that spread over her own face as she looked into his green eyes.

She found her own reactions to be a little strange actually. Hiccup was not the type she was usually drawn to, but there was something about him that was different.

Gesturing for him to follow she took up her phone, taking the time to discreetly look at him as he walked next her. He was very tall and lean, but still appeared to be very agile. His brown hair was unruly and he had a strong jaw. There was nothing extremely special about him, except for his forest green eyes behind his glasses. Those were very special, and then there was of course the strange way she felt how he affected her.

But then again, she would lie if she said he wasn't handsome. In fact, the more she looked at him, the more she liked his features. They were timeless in a simple way, one that drew all your attention once you had noticed them.

Okay so maybe he was handsome. Very much so even.

She also liked that he had seemed to be at ease around her, that he hadn't just stared at her with wide eyes and stuttered. It happened to her far too often. Either a guy would stare at her or they would act like a total ass. It made no sense to her at all and she hated it. She also hated that guys had a tendency of either treating her like a trophy in front of their friends or someone who was extremely fragile.

She was neither and she always made it extremely clear to them.

But Hiccup, who should have been angry at her but hadn't been, had not acted like that. He had treated her like anyone else and she liked it. The humor and kindness in his eyes was what made him attractive, and she already knew he was extremely smart. She had seen his scores and grades.

But then again, one act of kindess said nothing. He might always be like this in the beginning before he turned out to be someone different. She had just bumped into him a few moments ago after all, she didn't know him.

Yet.

Finally getting the CEO on the phone, she told him about the situation, the man on other end laughing like a mad man before telling her to take the time they needed. He would even reschedule a few things if he had to.

"So now that's solved." She told Hiccup with a smile when she ended the call, Hiccup wondering how she so easily could get the CEO to change his calendar. However he felt it could be a pretty personal question so he decided not to ask.

"How are you settling in?" Elsa asked instead.

"It's different, but I think I'll come to like it very much. The language is not the easiest though." Hiccup told her truthfully.

"You'll learn, though it might take some time. Most of us working here, as you probably have already noticed, are from all around the world so we speak English most of the time. As for everyone else, we start studying English very early in school so you'll probably not hear much Norwegian if you don't tell others to speak it." She replied. "Here we are!" She exclaimed happily as they reached a glass door, guiding him into a big office.

Looking around, Hiccup immediately realized that whatever Elsa's brother was doing, he had a high position within the company. One much higher than himself.

"Now let's see." She said, walking up to a closet that stood in one of corners of the room. Opening it she started to move around an endless amount of button-down shirts and jackets. "This one might suit you, our younger sister bought it but she got the wrong size so it's a big for him."

Walking over to her, Hiccup took the white button-down shirt with a hesitant expression.

"Are you sure he won't mind?" Hiccup asked, feeling very little uncomfortable, but Elsa only gave him a reassuring look.

"I know my brother; he'll only find all of this highly entertaining when he hears about it." She replied, a small silence falling between them before her eyes winded a little as she looked between him and the shirt. "Oh right... I'll just... I'll wait outside." She told him with a slightly sheepish expression, rushing out of the office while Hiccup looked after her with a confused expression.

If anyone was always nervous around people it was him, even more so around people like Elsa, but it was something about her that made him relax. Which only was even more strange since he couldn't deny that he found her to be extremely beautiful.

Trying not to think too much about the strange turn his day had taken, Hiccup pulled off the shirt he had been wearing before starting to put on the one Elsa had handed him. Once it was buttoned, he realized she had been right, the shirt did fit him perfectly. The soft material even made the usually confining clothing very comfortable to wear.

Walking out of the office, he looked down the corridor to see that Elsa was standing and talking to a woman with fiery red hair.

When he emerged the red haired woman, who was dressed in old jeans and simple T-shirt, sent him an approving look while she grinned at him. Seeing her obvious appreciation caused him to blush a little, very embarrassed as the red haired woman only winked at him before walking away.

"Don't mind Merida, she likes to make everyone uncomfortable if she can." Elsa told him, looking him over as he walked up to her and gratefully accepted the plastic bag he supposed Merida had fetched for him so he could get rid of his stained shirt.

"I knew it was the right size. It looks nice only you." Elsa added with a smile, Hiccup noticing that her eyes lingered a little bit longer than they had needed to. Rising a questioning eyebrow at her, Elsa simply turned around and started walking down the hallway, but it not before he had already seen the appreciative look in her eyes. It was much more subtle than that of her friend and unlike that look, this one didn't make him feel embarrassed. Instead it caused a strange happiness to spread within as he followed her.

"So how long have you been here at the company?" Hiccup asked her.

"About a year, I started immediately after I finished law school. I was 23 then, so don't you dare call me young." She told him, Hiccup chuckling at her words.

"I'm starting to wonder if I should be worried about how much you really know about me." He replied, knowing his age was another thing she must have picked up when she worked with his contract.

"If you don't add knowing your achievements as a student, which are extremely impressive by the way, I hardly know anything at all, but it could be easily solved over a cup of coffee." She said casually, Hiccup looking down at her with surprise.

"Coffee?" He asked her, Elsa chuckling at his dumbfound expression.

"Yes coffee, I made you spill yours and it would be a crime to let you continue drinking the horrible brew they have in the cafeteria. There is a little café close to here that is great, I could show it to you after your meeting." She told him, the two of them stopping outside the CEO:s office.

When he looked at her, she seemed slightly nervous. It surprised him that she could be so confident and sure of herself, only to become uncertain when she apparently moved into territory he hadn't thought was unknown for her.

If anyone should be nervous about this it was him, not her.

"Well, I can need saving from the sour lady behind the counter." He replied, Elsa smiling in response while she tried to ignore the slight feeling of relief.

"Yes she is a nightmare, I tried talking to her once and she simply turned her back to me and walked away. Besides it would feel a little better knowing more than just your name, age and grades which I've read from different papers." She told him, breaking herself off when she realized she was babbling.

Anna did that, she didn't.

"So I'll see you after your meeting?" She therefore asked him instead, wanting to know she hadn't misunderstood him in any way.

After all she didn't know what had come over her when she had mentioned the café. She had never asked anyone out before. In fact, she still hadn't really asked anyone out since her suggestion could hardly qualify as a question, but that didn't mean she wanted him to say no. She wanted him to say yes.

"After my meeting, but I'll pay for it." He told her, smiling when she opened her mouth to argue. "You've already saved me from making a fool of myself to my new boss by stealing from your brothers closet, I think that is thank you enough for causing me drown myself in coffee."

"You didn't drown yourself." She replied to him with a humors glare.

"No, you're right, it was you who did that." He told her grin.

"It was hardly only my fault!" She answered, sighing when he just kept on staring at her. "Fine! I might have been the reason, but you were not drowning. Besides if we're even, I'll not allow you to pay for me as well. That would be ridiculous." She told him with a defiant look.

"And if I want to?" Hiccup replied, her smile faltering a little as she gave him a surprised look.

In fact, Hiccup had to admit he was a little surprised himself over his own response, but he really meant it. Elsa intrigued him, she was pulling him in and keeping him at bay at the same time. She was different and he liked that.

"Then… We can talk about that later." She responded, looking away from his green eyes that suddenly had become strangely intense because of the honesty behind his words.

Hiccup had thrown her off guard and no one had ever done that before. She was the one who threw people off guard and moved past their defenses, it was never the other way around, but with him had turned out to be different. She didn't know what Hiccup would say next or what he would do, and while he was open to her, it was also clear that he guarded himself a little.

In other words, she wanted to figure him out, but she didn't want him to know that, at least not yet.

"Come on or you'll be even more late." She therefore said, opening the door before leading him into the grand office.

Inside sat an older man with blond hair with grey streaks and an impressive mustache. He was in his fifties but still looked young for his age. Beside him sat a young man who had an uncanny resemblance to Elsa, sharing her strange eye and hair colour.

"Hiccup, there you are! I heard about the little incident, I hope it all worked out even though it looks like it did." Adgar, the older man and CEO, exclaimed happily when he saw them enter. During all the time he had tried to convince Hiccup to move to Norway, the two had found out they got along really well. It was another reason Hiccup had chosen to move.

"It did, thank you for waiting." He replied with a smile, shaking the other man's hand with a smile of his own.

"No problem, I'm just sad I haven't had the time to welcome you earlier." Adgar answered. "And now I don't have to introduce you to my daughter, I heard she did that on her own." He continued with a chuckle, Hiccup doing his best to look unfazed by the information while he sent Elsa a questioning look she avoided.

Hiccup had known that the company was mostly owned and driven by Adgar's family, but he had not even considered that Elsa could be his daughter. Even less so considering the fact that she had asked _him_ out for coffee.

"I'm sure it was all a simple mistake." The young man resembling Elsa spoke up with a mischievous smile, Elsa sending him an angry look across the room while Adgar just chuckled.

"This is Jack, he is my son and Elsa's twin." Adgar explained.

"But I'm the better twin of course." Jack told Hiccup, shaking his hand. "Nice shirt." He added with a crooked grin that Hiccup didn't doubt had gotten him out of a lot of trouble. The man was just as good looking as his sister and he seemed very aware of it.

"Jack stop acting like an ass." Elsa told him, Jack just laughing as he put his arm around her shoulders, the two of them the same height. Seeing all three family members next to each other it was impossible to not see the resemblance and Hiccup almost felt stupid he hadn't seen it before.

"Well it is a nice shirt, Anna has good taste I'll give her that." He grinned, Elsa and Adar both smiling. "You keep it; she'll probably buy me another one for Christmas. It's all I ever get." Jack added with a grimace in Hiccup's direction.

"That's because it's the only thing you ever wish for." Elsa grinned at him before Hiccup had time to anything, pushing her brother's arm off her shoulders at the same time. "So I'll meet you down in the lobby when you're done here?" Elsa asked Hiccup, seemingly completely unfazed that both her father and brother was in the room.

"Öhhm…Yeah sure." Hiccup answered her, trying to ignore the fact that her father was now looking at him with a serious expression while her brother had gotten a new mischievous smile on his face.

"Now dad be nice, I asked him, not the other way around." Elsa said to Adgar, the man getting an innocent expression on his face as he finally stopped looking at Hiccup and looked at his daughter instead, Elsa having turned to her brother. "And you shut it!" She added with a glare at him.

"What?!" Jack exclaimed, Elsa grabbing a hold of his arm as she started to drag him out of the office.

"You know what!" She replied.

"How can you know?! I must admit I'm highly confused to whatever you are referring to. You can't read my mind, not the last time I checked." Jack answered her, winking at Hiccup with a huge grin before the door into the office closed and the siblings voices were shut out.

For a few moments, there was a heavy silence between Hiccup and Adgar, Hiccup wondering what on earth he should do. Apologizing felt stupid, but so did keeping silent.

"You know, I was going to ask if you had found any people you thought you would get along with, but I think my daughter has beaten me to it." Adgar finally said, breaking the silence as Hiccup looked at him with an expression he hoped didn't look too scared.

"I'll pay for the coffee." He replied quickly, wanting to bang his head against the wall at the stupid response. As if Adgar needed any more proof that Hiccup perhaps didn't see Elsa's offer as only a friendly one.

Thankfully, the other man just laughed heartedly and patted Hiccup on the back.

"If I you can manage that I'll be mighty impressed, especially considering Elsa is just like her mother, but that's for another time. Now tell me…"

And just like that it was over. Hiccup didn't know if Elsa's father, and his boss, was always this open or if he had passed some secret test he was unaware of, but he felt deeply grateful that Adgar took it all so easily.

After that Hiccup felt more at ease again and when he finally met Elsa down in the lobby, he felt that same surge of excitement rush through him again as before when she smiled warmly at him. He also found himself defeated, just as Adgar had predicted, when it came to paying for all of the coffee. In fact, Elsa had payed for both of them before he was even given any chance to stop her and when he pointed it out she only sent him a mischievous smile that perfectly mirrored that of her brother's.

Taking a seat at one of the small tables in back, neither one of them noticed how much time that had passed until the barista finally walked up to them and told them they were closing. Sharing a slightly confused look as they saw it was completely dark outside, they packed up their things and went outside, stopping right outside the door as they stood in comfortable silence.

As they stood there, Hiccup got the feeling that Elsa wanted to leave as little as him.

"You know, we're some friends who get together and watch movies every Friday. Would you like to join us tomorrow?" Elsa finally asked him.

"They won't mind?" Hiccup asked her, not wanting to intrude but very happy she had asked.

"Of course not, otherwise I wouldn't have invited you." Elsa answered with a smile.

"Then sure, yeah, I'd like that." Hiccup told her, feeling how his heart fluttered strangely when her smile grew. The feeling had started to appear during the evening and even though it was strange, he liked it. He had been in relationships before, but this feeling of lightness was new.

"I'll pick you up then, give me your phone." Elsa told him, Hiccup giving it to her without any hesitation and he watched how her fingers moved hastily over the screen before she gave it back to him. "Goodnight Hiccup." She then said, giving him one last warm smile before she turned around and walked away from him.

Staring after her, Hiccup looked down at his phone to see that new contact had been added. With a smile he pressed on the name, one ring being heard before he got an answer.

"You didn't wait for me to say goodbye nor did you take my number." Hiccup said, a smile spreading over his face as the voice on the other end laughed.

"Of course not, I wanted you to call me." Elsa replied, the two of them falling back into the conversation they had started in the café.

It was in that moment Hiccup knew things would change in his life again and, for once, he wanted them to.

* * *

 **So Elsa and Jack as twins, does this mean I have any comment about any pairings? Nope! Just think they** **would've amazing dynamic as siblings!**

 **Don't know when I'll update the next time, might be in a week or in three months, this is one of those stories where the chapters just happen, but I will update it again! I think hahah!**

 **A Happy New Year to all of you and best wishes it will be wonderful!  
Until next year!  
/Lysistrate**


	3. Chapter 3: The love we fear

**Now I'm a little uncertain about the rating for this chapter really, but comparing to movies and other YA books I think it falls under the T-rating.  
So we move forward, these just come and go, never know what I'll write next myself so that's actually pretty fun! **

**Guest (1):** Thank you, I'm glad yore enjoying it, and thank you for reading! It's what keeps me publishing on this site, I've always written, but I do not publish it all.

 **Guest (2):** The door incident will be published, though I don't know when haha. These chapters are all born from inspiration I get in a moment, it's a new way for me write so I just go with it. But I will write it down for sure!

* * *

 **2,5 years earlier.**

"You can't be serious!" Anna laughed along with the rest of the table while Rapunzel smiled.

"I feel sorry for them, but it was pretty funny." She answered.

"Sorry for them? Rapunzel, they only had themselves to blame if you ask me! Seriously, who even gets the idea to try and take care of your husbands "problem" when he is cooking." Merida managed to get out while still laughing, causing a new round laughter to spread around the table once more.

"I must say, you working as a surgeon at the emergency might be the best thing ever." Anna grinned at Rapunzel who chuckled.

"But you know you cannot tell anyone about this." Rapunzel said with a stern face, Merida just grinning at her.

"We'll not do more with it this information than Elsa is doing with Hiccup, so nothing at all." The red head said, Elsa glaring at her.

"Stop it, Merida!" She only said, filling up her glass of wine while she tried to ignore the look all of her friends shared.

"But it's getting ridiculous! You two have been going on and off for two months now!" Merida exclaimed.

"We've not been going on and off since we've not gone "on" to begin with! And it's not that simple." Elsa replied, taking a sip of her wine so she didn't have to look at the others.

"Come on, you two are like magnets to each other! So reasons? It can't be that he's bad looking, for he very much isn't! I'd go for him myself if I wasn't already very involved with your brother." Merida continued, ignoring that both Elsa and Anna frowned at her. No matter that the unlikely pair has been going out for two years and had moved in with each other recently, it was still their brother she was talking about.

You never got used to that.

"So we have an extremely hot, kind guy who gets along with all of us and your parents, including your dad who is a usually a terror. He is as smart as you, if not smarter which is a miracle in it's own, so he actually do understand how you work while he doesn't allow you to run him over either. Also he likes you, a lot, like really a lot! Do you hear how ridiculous this is?!" She concluded with a pointed look before a smug smile spread over her face. " Are you afraid he'll be bad in bed?" She asked bluntly.

"What?! No!" Elsa exclaimed, staring at her with wide eyes while both Rapunzel and Anna did their best to hold back their smiles.

"Well, it's apparently a legitimate question since ye two still aren't together despite everything I just told you." Merida said with a grin before her face turned more serious and compassionate. "Or is this all about Hans?" She asked, frowning when Elsa immediately turned a little pale.

"I don't wanna talk about it." She only replied, looking out of the window so she missed the stern looks both Rapunzel and Anna sent their red haired friend.

"Come on Elsa, even if it is, you're not giving Hiccup a fair chance. Have you told him?" Merida said, Elsa looking at her again only to see that both Anna and Rapunzel now avoided looking Elsa herself instead.

"You agree?" She asked them, Anna and Rapunzel looking at each other before Anna looked at her with compassion.

"You actually aren't being fair to him." She said softly. "And we've all noticed how, you know, you two have seen a little uncomfortable around each other the last couple of weeks, which has made us wonder if something happened between you." Anna finished just as Jack walked into the room.

"Are we talking about how my twin is giving poor Hiccup a hard time?" He asked with a grin, putting his arms over Merida's shoulders as he leaned lightly against the back of her chair. "You know he'll never make a move if you don't give him some encouragement." He added, sending Elsa a pointed look that she answered with a small glare.

"What is this, ganging-up-on-Elsa time or what?" She asked frustrated, causing Jack to chuckle.

"As if anyone would gang up on you Els. You never listen no matter what anybody says, you're too stubborn. Now I'll go and meet up with the poor guy we're all crying for, see you later tonight." Jack told them, giving Merida a kiss and Elsa one last pointed which caused her to look away before he walked out of the room.

Jack always knew how to see right through her and she through him. It was the curse and the blessing, of their close relationship. One she wouldn't have sacrificed even if the world was on stake.

"So I'll go and change into something better, who's joining me?" Merida asked, breaking the silence that had fallen since Jack left. At her question, Anna rose immediately while Rapunzel looked at Elsa who was staring once again staring out of the window with a far away look.

"We'll join you soon." She said, throwing her friend and her cousin a pointed look to which they nodded before they left. "Are you okay?" Rapunzel asked when they were gone, taking the seat right next to Elsa.

"I'm just tired of no one leaving me alone about this." She replied, staring down into her wine glass that was almost empty. Seeing the pained look in Elsa's eyes, Rapunzel took the glass from her and put it back on the table.

"We're just worried and we want you to be happy." Rapunzel told her, seeing how Elsa's eyes turned a little glossy with tears. "Hiccup makes you happy." Rapunzel added carefully.

"He does, very much so." Elsa responded, a small smile on her face. "But I feel… I didn't think I would…" She trailed off, searching for the right words.

"Feel what?" Rapunzel asked softly, not saying anything when Elsa looked at her, one lone tear escaping.

"Guilty. I've felt so extremely guilty ever since…" Elsa took a deep breath and stopped herself, no one knew about what had happened a few weeks ago and she hadn't shared it for a reason. "It just feels like I'm betraying Hans even though he has been gone for years. I still love him." She answered, Rapunzel pulling her in for a hug.

The comfort turned out to be more needed than she had thought.

"He would've wanted you to be happy, to move on." Rapunzel simply answered. Elsa knew her words were true, but she still had a problem accepting them.

"I know, it's just with Hiccup it has been so easy while Hans and I… We fell in love over such a long time. I was not attracted to him immediately and Hiccup just makes me feel different. Which makes me feel like I'm betraying Hans and…" Elsa mumbled, having to stop so she could hold back a sob, Rapunzel only holding her closer.

"And that makes you feel guilty." Rapunzel concluded, Elsa nodding her head against her shoulder. Holding onto each other a moment longer, Rapunzel then lightly pulled back so they could look at each other.

"Elsa, I'm not going to tell you what to do, no one can decide except you, but a guy like Hiccup…" Rapunzel trailed off as she dried her cousin's tears. "He is not going to be around forever. He likes you a lot, but Merida is right. He is very good looking, he is too kind for his own good and he cares so much. Someone else is going to see that and they're not going to hesitate." Rapunzel said softly.

Elsa's only response was looking down into her glass of wine once more and Rapunzel sighed at the fact that her cousin was impossible to get through to. There was only one person in the whole world Elsa ever fully opened up to and that was Jack. Everyone else had to be happy with what she gave them.

"You know what, I'll tell the others to leave you alone for the night, okay?" She finally said, Elsa sending her a grateful smile. "Have you told him? Hiccup I mean." Rapunzel asked, Elsa looking hesitant for a second before she nodded her head in confirmation.

The confession was not one Rapunzel had expected, especially since Elsa had brushed off Merida before, but she did her best to hide her surprise. Perhaps there could become two people in the world Elsa could open up to fully. Maybe Hiccup was even more special than they thought.

"Then if you ask me, I would say that you've already made your decision. You've never told anyone else before." Rapunzel finally responded, giving Elsa one last smile before she walked after the others.

Looking after her cousin, Elsa sighed and put her glass back on the table. She knew everyone was just worried about her and that they only wanted both her and Hiccup to be happy, but they didn't understand. They never could.

It had never been her intention to fall so quickly for Hiccup. The attraction had been there from the beginning, but that one cup of coffee had changed everything. Never had she felt so easy around anyone before, Hiccup had made her relax and allowed her to fully be herself. She had invited him to meet her friends and, well, family since she, Jack, Anna and Rapunzel were all related. For a fraction of a second it had been a little tense, until Jack had asked Hiccup why his shirt had been retured to his office and after that it had all just worked effortlessly.

Hiccup had immediately fitted right into their group and become such a natural part of it that they now wondered how they had managed without him.

But while they all had grown closer over the last few months, the relationship between her and Hiccup had always been different. They constantly flirted a little or argued over a tiny problem, which of course had caused a lot of teasing from the others about their obvious attraction.

And their friends weren't wrong. They were attracted to each other and they had never tried to hide it. Elsa had felt how her feelings for him constantly depend, how his mere presence had started to affect her. One night when she had felt lonely and bored, about two weeks after they had first met, she had taken a bottle of wine and walked over to his apartment. They only lived a few streets away from each other and while Hiccup had been surprised to see her, he had let her in.

That had turned out to be the first might of many they spent talking about everything and nothing. Elsa had spent the night since she had fallen asleep on his sofa and when she had woken up, it had turned out he had put a blanket over her while she was asleep. In the morning they had made a horrible breakfast since they somehow had managed to get too much salt in the oatmeal, which had made it uneatable, and they had both laughed at their terrible cooking skills. Then a few days later Hiccup had been standing outside her apartment with two boxes of pizza, she had let him in and that was that.

Nothing had ever happened between them, but after that they hung out more together than they were alone. Eugene had even once said that they both had two apartments instead of just one each.

Their friendship had been simple, but during all that time they had constantly been gravitating towards each other until it had happened, the kiss no one knew about.

That one kiss they both had waited for and that had changed everything.

It had been after one of their groups usual movie nights. This time they had been at her place and, like always, Hiccup had stayed behind to help her clean up when the others had left. It was another small thing that had become a tradition of their own since they lived so close.

They had been talking and joking around as always until Elsa, who was doing the dishes, had sprinkled some water over him. Drying his glasses on his shirt, Hiccup had sent her a mischievous look before he grabbed a hold of her and started tickling her. It had always been her weakness and she knew it was Jack who had told him about it.

They had both been laughing until their eyes had locked with each other and they had realized how close they were to each other. She had been trapped between him and the counter, her heart racing as all the underlying tension between them had started to creep up within.

She was the one who had initiated the kiss, not the other way around. It had started out slow, but it had soon turned into a battle as the built up tension between them was finally released. It had consumed them both and she had marvelled over how his hands left burning trails on her skin.

When he had lifted her up on the counter he had drawn back and asked her if they were going too fast, but she had just pulled him to her again.

His hands had travelled up her legs and in under her shirt. His lips had left hers only to leave a warm trail down her neck, finding an especially sensitive spot that had caused her to moan loudly.

And that was the moment that had changed everything once again.

In that very moment she had felt like someone had thrown a bucket of ice cold water over her and she had pulled back while her feelings had been a raging storm. Hiccup had been looking at her with concerned and wondering eyes, while he carefully pushed back her hair. He had caressed her cheek lovingly and he told her they could stop, that they probably should take it slower.

The love that she had seen in his eyes had made her to freeze as she realized that her feelings for him was just as strong as his were for her. But the realization had also made it feel like her chest was suddenly pressed together and her breath had turned shallow as the guilt and panic rose within her. Poor Hiccup had been extremely confused when she suddenly started crying, but he had stayed with her. He had held her close until her tears had faded away and then carefully asked if she wanted to talk about it.

At the worried look in his eyes, the words had just fallen out of her. She had told him about her the man she had loved and grown up with. The man she still loved. She told him how he one night had been killed by an evil twist of fate. A drunk driver had gotten over on the wrong side of the road and the two cars had collided.

Hans had never even had a chance.

He had been a part of her life for as long as she could remember since their parents had known each other. As children they had been close friends and when Hans had asked her to be his girlfriend at fifteen she had said yes. She had never really thought about him as anything more, but he had been so nervous and it had felt like the next natural step for them.

Their love had been slow and safe. He had promised her to never leave her and, at times, Elsa had gotten the feeling she could never fully return his feelings. With Hans she had always acted calmer and more mature than she did when only her friends or her family was present. She had always felt like she needed to mirror him a little.

Still he had made her happy and they had painted up a safe future together. He proposed to her when she was only nineteen, but she had never hesitated to say yes.

Her parents hadn't been thrilled, but they had accepted it. Jack on the other hand had told her that he thought she was moving too fast. He had asked her if she was certain Hans was the one and she had told him that she was. She had seen he didn't fully believe her, but he had accepted her answer.

Then everything had changed in a heartbeat when Hans was suddenly gone. Her future had been taken from her, blown away like a leaf in the wind and it had all been out of her control. Her life had fallen apart, but she had forced herself to move forward. Her family and friends had all been there for her, never leaving her side as she tried to move on.

After her first date two years after Hans had passed she had come home crying. Jack had walked into her room and held her in his arms, offering to beat the hell out of the poor guy she had been with. His words had caused her to smile and that night he had listened to her as she had done what she only could do with him, she had poured her heart out.

She had told him how she had felt that she was replacing Hans, throwing away his memory, and that it had made her feel extremely guilty. Jack had talked sense into her and since then she had slowly started to let go off the feeling. She had even been in two short relationships and it had worked since she had never felt more for any of them than Hans.

But now she did. With Hiccup things were different, he affected her so differently. It was on a much deeper level. Like she had done with Hans, she felt safe and protected, but Hiccup also made her feel much more alive and giddy. There was a fire in him that spread to her when he was close and he wasn't content with just staying in one place. He wanted to travel and see the world, unlike Hans who had wanted to stay in one place.

Hiccup was sarcastic and had no problem joking around with her friends. He never made her feel silly when she and Jack goofed around, nor did she feel like he thought she acted immaturely at times. They would join in on each others rants or allow themselves to act extremely nerdy on the subjects they liked.

But most of all Hans had never made her feel like she lost all control.

They had been a couple for nearly five years, but with only a few touches and one kiss Hiccup had made her get completely lost in him, she had never felt more connected to anyone. So when he had found that small sensitive spot on her neck, a feat that had taken Hans a year, it had all crashed down around her.

With the realization of how deep her emotions for him already ran, her old guilt had arisen and for the first time she had wondered if Hans might not have been the one to her she had believed him to be.

So she had shared her feelings with Hiccup, how she hadn't really been allowed to ever fall out of love with Hans since she had lost him so suddenly and amazingly, Hiccup had promised to give her all the space she needed. He had stayed with her until he was certain she was alright before he had left her apartment. The moment he had, Elsa had felt cold and lonely. She had wanted him to come back, but she had been unable to call him back because of that one feeling that was really holding her back.

Fear.

For that was the real truth. She was absolutely terrified of falling in love and maybe lose that person again. That was why her panic had arisen when she realized the depth of her feelings for this man who had taken over her heart so quickly. She didn't want to become so vulnerable again for if she were to lose him she wouldn't be able to bare it, she would...

"Elsa."

At Anna's soft voice she looked at her sister who was standing in the doorway. Her copper hair was for once loose and fell straight down to her shoulders. She looked so different than her and Jack, a perfect image of their mother, and she was so very beautiful.

"I just got lost." Elsa replied to her with a small smile, seeing that it didn't ease Anna's slightly worried look.

"We could stay home if you want to. We have wine, ice-cream and chocolate. It was a long time since we had a girls' night, cried to Titanic and drowned ourselves in everything unhealthy." Anna said with a smile of her own, it growing when Elsa chuckled.

"That would be amazing, but I want to come with you. I can't keep you from Kristoff, he would barge in here like a caveman." Elsa replied, Anna laughing as her eyes glowed.

"You're right, but we must have a girls' night soon! Now come on, let's make you beutifuller." Anna said, Elsa smiling as her sister grabbed a hold of her wrist and dragged her with her, Elsa feeling so extremely happy that she had her family.

* * *

"Here they are, right on time!" Eugene exclaimed, Jack and everyone else at their table turning around to see the group consisting of his sisters, his cousin and his girlfriend walk over to their table in the small pub.

Yep, they were an inbreeded group of friends Jack thought to himself, but who cared about that really?

"And it was about time, I never thought we'd get here with your girlfriend having to braid that long hassle of blond hair." Merida told Eugene, the man in question rolling his eyes at her while Rapunzel just laughed.

"You always complain about it but you never help." She replied, taking a seat next to Eugene on the sofa along with Anna who sat down next to Kristoff. Elsa on the other hand sat down next to Jack himself so he and Merida was between her and Hiccup.

At the obvious sign of avoidance, Jack saw how Hiccup looked down at his beer bottle with a slightly hurt expression before taking a deep breath, the hurt look being replaced by a small smile instead. Still, Jack could see the sadness in his eyes though and it made Jack feel a deep compassion towards his newest mate.

He also wanted to tell his sister to stop acting like an idiot.

Ever since he had seen Elsa and Hiccup together the first time, the attraction between them had been painfully obvious. As their friendship had grown, Jack had started to see the old sides to his sister that had been gone for such a long time. Hiccup was a very easy-going and simple person to get along with, which had caused Elsa to become more carefree again. The mischievous twinkle in her eyes had returned and the whole group had just waited for the two of them to take the next step.

But then three weeks ago something had happened that neither Elsa or Hiccup wanted to talk about. Jack had asked Hiccup about it, but to his credit his new friend had been fully loyal to his sister. However, when Jack had asked him if Elsa had told him about Hans, Hiccup hadn't seemed surprised to hear the name.

So whatever had happened between Elsa and Hiccup, things had changed after that.

While his sister did what she did best, avoiding Hiccup as much as she could, he on the other hand kept a close eye on her. Jack had more than once noticed how Hiccup's eyes would linger on Elsa across the room with a thoughtful or worried expression. Each time she noticed he would send her a small smile before looking away, and each time Elsa would blush a little with a torn look in her eyes.

Jack had his suspicions why his sister had completely lost her senses, but that didn't mean this wasn't starting to get ridiculous. Hiccup was perfect for her and she was just making both of them miserable. But Elsa was stubborn and while the others had tried talking to her, Jack had given her all the space she wanted. He had knew that if he tried to reach out to her at the moment, it would only have the opposite effect.

So instead the whole gang had started to act like nothing and the atmosphere around their table soon was as easy as it could get these days. At least until a very cute, brown-haired short woman walked up to them with a warm smile. When the others noticed he had seen someone approaching they all turned to look at the woman who stopped next to Hiccup's chair.

"I almost feel a little embarrassed now." She told them in a heavy American accent, chuckling a little before turning to Hiccup. "Fellow American?" She asked him, her smile growing when he gave her a small one in return.

"You have no idea how nice it is to hear a familiar accent." He replied, the woman laughing a little as she threw her hair over her shoulder.

"Trust me I do, that's why I came over. I'm Hannah." She said, looking at all of them hastily before her eyes fell on Hiccup again. "So how long have you been here?"

"Just a few months, yourself?" He asked, gesturing to the chair next to him as everyone looked at the conversation with interest.

"I moved here three years ago. God knows I love it here in the summer but in the winter! Buy yourself a new winter coat, trust me! You'll freeze to death if you don't have something that keeps you warm." She said with a smile, her brown eyes glowing as she sat down on chair at the table and leaned a little closer to him.

Her flirting was so extremely obvious it was actually entertaining.

"If it gets any colder than it is now I can see the reason." Hiccup only replied, the two of them continuing to talk as they compared their views on the country they had left behind and the one they moved to.

It didn't take long until the rest of the group fell back into their previous conversation, but that didn't mean everyone still didn't kept a close eye on their friend and Hannah to see what would happen. Everyone of course except the person sitting next to Jack. Instead, she was quietly looking down at her drink while sometimes throwing a dark look at the new couple.

And not until Hannah laughed at something and put her hand on Hiccup's arm, said person had had enough and rose from her seat.

"I'm going to buy a new drink; anyone want something?" Elsa asked, everyone shaking their heads while following her departure with knowing smiles. Well all except Hiccup who looked after her with a slightly troubled expression until Hannah turned his attention back to her.

"Well, are you finally gonna do something or what?" Merida asked Jack quietly, gesturing discreetly to Elsa's empty chair.

"You're right, I've had enough. I'll be right back." Jack murmured to her, his girlfriend only sending him a look that told him she thought it was about damn time, before he rose and made his way over to the bar. Sending a glowing smile to the two young women who was standing next to his sister, they both looked a little dazed and didn't complain when he took their place.

"You shouldn't overuse that smile; I feel bad for them." Elsa told him with dryly which only caused him to grin at her.

"And you should use your smile more often sis." He replied, Elsa rolling her eyes at him. "Like Hannah perhaps." He added, causing Elsa to glare at him in response.

"I'd rather be ignored than acting like I'm cheep." She muttered, Jack seeing the irritated look in her eyes that she was trying very hard to hide.

"A bit harsh there if you ask me Els. Be careful, one might think you're jealous." He told her which only caused her eyes to darken even more. Thankfully, she never got the chance to snap at him since they were interrupted.

"Oh, are we talking about the heartache of Hiccup again?" One of the young bartenders said who had come up to them, winking at Jack as he leaned over the counter so he got closer to them. He was very well built, with blue eyes and blond hair, good looking. No one could deny that. "Also I think your brother could smile more any day." The bartender added with a smile.

"Kai, I'll smile more for you any day." Jack told him with a grin, the bartender laughing as he jokingly fawned himself. Even though Kai was already in a steady relationship with his boyfriend Sven, he still took every opportunity to make it known how much he appreciated Jack's looks. All of their groups looks really, but Jack and Elsa in particular.

"You two have the strangest relationship." Elsa told them with a small smile.

"One takes what one gets. Besides your brother can make any man or woman swoon dear, and so can you. The Icey twins who glitters like frost, one have to beware to not fall under their spell." Kai answered with a wink. "Now tell me what is going on, I'm the best tipped shrink you'll ever get around here. So, what's the problem?" He added.

"Elsa is being stubborn." Jack told him simply, Kai frowning a little.

"Nothing new there, thankfully I know just the prescription to help you get her talking." He said, getting three small glasses and pouring all of them full with vodka. Taking one each, they clinked their glasses together before they all took their shot, grimacing as the alcohol burned their throats.

"That is horrible every time. Now when I come back here I want see some progress, I didn't just prescribe that for free without any results. Besides, brunettes and blondes do make such lovely couples if you ask me." Kai added, frowning a little when he looked at Hiccup and Hannah behind them.

"And still you haunt after my brother." Elsa replied with a smile, Kai just chuckling.

"If your brother were to switch teams, I'd gladly dye my hair forever dear." He said with a smile. "And I'll leave this here." He added, indicating to the bottle of vodka before disappearing to take care the other customers.

"So?" Jack asked, Elsa staring down at the three empty glasses before she took the vodka bottle and started filling them up again.

"So what?" She replied heatedly while still refusing to look at him.

"You can't lie to me sis." Jack told her in a low voice as he walked closer to her, putting his hand over hers as she reached for another shot. "Hey, why are you doing this? Why do you keep making both of you miserable when you clearly like him?" Jack asked her.

"I don't know if I'm ready." She answered, finally looking up at him and without even trying, he could see what she hid from everyone else. Jack could see the real reason she was hesitating. She was absolutely terrified.

"Yes, you're ready and you know it. That's why you're scared Elsie and that's why you're using that fear as an excuse, admit it." He told her, Elsa looking over at Hiccup. The way she looked at him she had never looked at Hans, not a single time.

"You haven't called me Elsie in a long time." She only replied.

It was true, he had given her the nickname when she had started calling him Jackie. They had been four at the time and she had done it to annoy him, but while his nickname had disappeared, hers had stayed. At least it had until Hans had found it ridiculous and she had asked him to stop using it. Then he had started to call her Els instead.

However, he knew that she was trying to divert his attention and he was not going to fall for it like everyone else. Once again they knew each other too well.

"You're avoiding again." He told her sternly, Elsa sighing as she turned to him, the fear in her eyes even stronger than before along with a new vulnerability she rarely showed even to him.

"But I already feel so much for him Jack. I don't just like him I…" She trailed off, seemingly collecting her thoughts before she got a look of defeat in them. "You once asked me if I was certain if Hans was the right one and I said yes, remember?"

"Of course." He replied, it had been a conversation he would never forget. He had known she was making a safe choice and he hadn't liked it.

"I have a different answer now and that is that I'm no longer sure he was. I loved him, I still do, but it's not the same." Elsa told him, her eyes filling with warmth before turning pained again. "Jack I know what I feel for Hiccup and it dosen't just scare me, it makes me terrified. I'm so scared to love him, to fall even more for him. I can feel how he is growing to become a part of me and if I allow that, what would happen if I lose him too? What on earth would I do then? I don't think I could take it." She whispered, her eyes filling with tears.

Feeling his heart break a little for her, Jack put his arm around so she could rest her head on his shoulder. He had always admired how she had picked up the pieces after Hans passed, how strong she had been in front of everyone. He had been with her at her lowest points, picked her up when she needed to, but he had seen that she had never fully healed. She had become more secluded, even more hesitant to let anyone in than she had been before.

But now he had seen how she had started to heal fully over the last few months. He had seen that Hiccup was bringing light behind her defenses, but he also knew that if she didn't fight now she would lose him anyway and she needed to hear it.

"You might lose him Elsie or you might find out you're not right for each other, no one knows. But I think you are meant for each other. He changes you in all the right ways and you've told me he makes you feel more than before. Isn't better to take a risk and maybe find the right one than losing him before you even had the chance and be unhappy forever?" He asked her, Elsa smiling a little as a lone tear escaped her eyes.

"Your brother is right sweetheart; you should go for your man." Kai said, having suddenly appeared again out of nowhere with a napkin in his hand and compassionate eyes. Chuckling a little at his sudden appearance, Elsa sent him a grateful smile and took the napkin from him.

"I hate it when you two are right, when did you have the time to become so wise?" She asked, Jack and Kai grinning at each other.

"Male wisdom, natural talent, perfect emotional spectrum, call it whatever you want." Kai answered.

"Indeed, how the world ever survived without us is a mystery." Jack added with a grin, both he and Kai laughing when Elsa only rolled her eyes.

"And there the whole level of intelligence just plummeted again." She replied.

"Such hurtful words, but I'll talk about that with you another time. Now, how are you going to make your move?" Kai asked, with glittering eyes.

"I never said I'd make one tonight." Elsa quickly replied, Kai and Jack sharing a look.

"You've just admitted to loving this poor guy who is, for the record, crazy about you and now you're telling us you want to wait? Whose intelligence was it you questioned again?" Kai asked her with a pointed look.

"If you're going to be rude I'll leave." Elsa told him with a small glare, but Kai only laughed as he took one of the shots she had poured up and smiled at her.

"You do so, go get him deary." He winked at her, chuckling when she rolled her eyes and walked away from the bar with Jack following her.

"You know you could just give me a signal and I can get both of you into moving position right now." He whispered to her, Elsa giving him an amused glare. "Signal seen and confirmed." Jack added, leaving her behind to stare at him with wide eyes as he rushed up to their table.

"So Hiccup, are you done flirting yet or what?" She heard him ask loudly when she finally reached their friends who had all fallen silent, everyone, including Hiccup, looking at Jack with amused smiles. Well, all except the brunette next to Hiccup.

"That was very rude." She said, Jack just sending her a smile as he shrugged.

"Might be, but rudeness is a question of perspective so it depends on who you ask and if you ask me that wasn't rude but a legit question asked to a friend in need." He told her quickly, Hannah just staring at him with a slightly confused expression. "Besides, my sister wants to share a few words with our friend, don't you Elsie?" Jack added as he put his arm around her again with a mischievous smile, Elsa immediately pushing it off of her with an angry look.

"I don't want to interrupt." Elsa replied, carefully meeting Hiccup's green eyes for the first time that night only to find that he was already looking at her with an unreadable expression. The tension between them was suddenly clear and it didn't become any better by the fact that everyone was staring at them.

"It's okay." He simply told her, completely ignoring the affronted look Hannah gave him.

"Perhaps you two should go outside, it's a little crowded in here." Anna quickly added, the excuse a poor one considering it was actually a very calm night.

"That's a great idea." Jack answered for them, pushing Elsa over to Hiccup who couldn't help to look at him in amusement while Elsa only glared at her brother before she started walking through the crowd. To her surprise, she felt Hiccup take her hand and while it made her heart skip a beat, she didn't pull back.

Walking next to him again, Elsa suddenly felt extremely aware of how warm his hand was in hers and how her heart stared beating faster in her chest.

She was going to kill Jack when she saw him the next time.

"So you wanted to talk to me?" Hiccup asked her when they finally got outside, Elsa letting go of his hand, clasping her own together. Feeling her emotions raging inside she started walking down the street to get something to do, Hiccup sending her a questioning look but following her.

"Just curious about who you were talking to." She replied, Hiccup looking at her with a sceptical expression.

"If that was it you could have just asked inside, or spoken to her." He told her, Elsa beating herself up mentally over the stupid opening.

"You know Jack he likes to…"

"Elsa please, just don't." Hiccup suddenly interrupted her with her with a pleading voice, stopping in the empty small street they had just entered.

"What?" She asked, knowing very well what he was referring to and, at her response, he sighed. Closing his eyes for a moment he ran his hand through his hair before he looked at her with all the emotions from that night they'd kissed.

The ones he had hidden to give her space.

"You know what. I'm not gonna stand here and pretend like there is nothing going on between us. I like you and I admit that I've never felt like this before which frankly scares the hell out of me at times. And while I wish you one day might feel the same, I don't want to push you. But at least let me know if I have a chance. I can't go around waiting forever for you to acknowledge me." He told her honestly.

He was opening his heart to her and seeing him so vulnerable in front of her, Elsa had never felt more like a coward in her entire life. She knew her feelings for him, she knew she wanted him in her life and that she wanted to move on with him. Jack was right, why choose certain unhappiness simply out of fear?

Feeling a new determination well up inside, it surprised her how easily it quenched the fear.

"I don't want you to. To wait that is. It's just I'm so scared; I'm terrified of losing you when I already feel so much for you and it just keeps on growing." She whispered to him, feeling how a weight lifted of her shoulders at the confession.

Feeling his arms close around her, Elsa hugged him back as she breathed in his scent and she had never felt more grateful for a silence in her entire life. He didn't give her any promises that he would never leave her, for he knew it was promises he might not be able to keep.

"I don't know what I would do if I lost you, I've been lucky to never experience that, but I would rather have you a moment than nothing at all." He whispered to her quietly, Elsa pulling back a little so she could look into his eyes.

Swallowing, she opened her mouth a few times before she managed to get out the words that seemed to refuse to leave her.

"I feel the same way." She finally whispered and when his eyes glowed at her behind the glasses and a smile spread over his face, she couldn't help to smile back at him. Feeling how a rush of warmth and joy spread through her, she took his face in her hands and pulled him down carefully to her.

He responded softly to her kiss, his hand coming up to cup her cheek while the other trailed up her side.

At the sensation she gasped slightly and pulled him closer, the kiss suddenly growing more urgent as the air started to grow heavy around them. It hadn't been the intention, but suddenly she didn't care. She wanted him, she knew her feelings for him and now when she had accepted them she was no longer afraid of moving forward.

As his hands started to wander to down her back, her blood started to rush in her veins and she felt how her heart started to race when he held her even closer to him. In response, she allowed her own hands to pull a little at his shirt so they could sneak underneath it.

When he started to trail kisses down her neck she breathed heavily, just barely able to hold back a moan when he easily found that sensitive spot once again, her dazed mind thankfully remembering they were still outside.

She had no idea what he was doing to her, why he and no one else made her feel this way, but she was done wondering and questioning. She had made her choice and for once she would allow herself to only feel and this felt right. Very right.

"I don't wanna go back inside." She gasped out.

"No?" Hiccup asked her with grin, his smile quickly faltering when she took a hold of the waistband of his pants and pulled him even closer to her.

"No, do you?" She asked with a small grin of her own, allowing her hand to travel slightly underneath the waistband, only for him to quickly grab a hold of it.

"Not really no." He told her, Elsa smiling at him before pulling him to her and captured his lips once more. The kiss was heated and when they pulled back, her body was burning under his dark eyes. His shirt was pulled up and wrinkled, his glasses were a little on the side and his hair was ruffled.

He had never looked more attractive than he did now.

"My place is the closest." She told him, taking a hold of his hand as they started walking down the streets hastily. Hearing her phone ring, Elsa looked at it before turning it off completely.

"Jack is gonna kill me." Hiccup told her with a warm smile when his phone started ringing instead, having seen who had called her. To her joy, he ignored the call and only pulled her closer while his hand started traveling up and down her side. At the sensation Elsa felt herself starting to tremble.

"He only has himself to blame." She replied, taking Hiccup's phone from his pocket when it started ringing again, turning it off as well. "Besides I'm the oldest so he can say nothing." She grinned at him, thanking whatever power there was that she lived so close to the pub as they reached the building.

Pulling him up the stairs, she unlocked her door with slightly trembling hands as she felt his hands around her waist, the feelings rushing through her making her laugh slightly when it finally opened and they both stumbled inside.

With a bang, the door flew shut as he turned her around, pushing her up against it as he once again kissed her and she forgot about everything for a moment, never ending the kiss while she searched for the lock.

Hearing it click, she wrapped her legs around his waist, feeling the excitement surge through her when he swore quietly and pulled back. Looking at her, both of them panting as they tried to gain their breath, his dark eyes traced her features, his hand caressing her cheek.

"Not too fast?" He asked her, and Elsa felt her eyes tear up as she smiled at him. Placing a kiss on his lips, so different from all the others that night, she felt more than ever that she was making the right choice.

"Not too fast. Promise." She told him and he smiled at her, kissing her again as he took a secure hold of her so he could carry her through her small apartment into her bedroom.

He was not leaving her tonight.

* * *

 **So that's how they became the couple we saw in chapter 1! Of course a lot happened in 2,5 years (a proposal for example) but this is where they took the step.**

 **Tell me what you thought, did you like it? What about Hans? What about Jack and Elsa? But most of all, what will come next? It might be the "door-incident" for I understand many are curious about what that is! However, I don't know what inspiration will hit me next so we'll just have to see haha!**

 **Until next time!**

 **/Lysistrate**


	4. Chapter 4:Mini-confessions and prejudice

**So I'm back! Except for a small post "Frozen in time" I've not been on this site at all. Too much in school, really think I'll drown, but that's the way it is! So your reviews, so sorry for not getting back to anyone, but I'll get back to you all now just like I usually do with the guest reviews. Now since I won't update "Frozen in time" (that REALLY is a one-shot haha) the responses to the reviews to that story will be at the end of this chapter.**

 **Warning for a lot of late editing! I'll look this over again tomorrow!**

 **Guest (1):** Thank you for your review, happy you liked the last chap!

 **Ladiyx:** So easy to miss that I continued this, I didn't plan it from the start, but so happy you found it and that you've liked the previous two chaps! Haha who knows, you might! I love writing their relationship, it's actually loosely based on the one I have with my own brother. The two of us in the same room... geez it's always slight chaos! ;) Also happy you like Merida's small cameos!  
Hahaha Kai and Jack are a force to be reckoned with! And indeed do we have a tendency to complicate things, but our sixth sense no one can take away. Also we're always a step ahead ;) The ending to chapter 3, yes I can imagine that reaction, so what will you say at my announcement at the end of this chap now? hahaha!  
As for January 6th we don't really celebrate it, mostly since most people in Sweden have a very loose (if any) relationship to Christianity today unfortunately. We only see it as a free day from school and work to be honest.

 **Noctus Fury:** I can understand that it was easy to miss, but so glad you found it and to have you back on the ship! :D Hans! Yes, I really wanted to something different with him, but not everything you see is right. There are hints, though very vague and there will be more, that he changed Elsa and maybe not in the best ways. Not saying he was a bad guy, just saying sometimes people aren't right for each other and not what they look like. You've only gotten Elsa's point of view so far after all ;)  
Glad you like Elsa/Jack and I can totally understand, we all do have our ships we follow! Like your okay with it anyway :D Haha poor Hiccup, trust me he is a gentleman, but Elsa wouldn't have liked him asking for permission. As for glasses, I can agree it has been done so many times but it's a personal preference to be honest... I have a thing for the nerds, I admit it hahaha!  
And there will be more of everything; Elsa/Hiccup, Adgar, Idun, Stoick, Valka, Toothless... man this is not a short story anymore is it? Well, well, join in on the ride and you'll see who shall appear ;) Also SO very happy you like the story! Always love hearing from you!

 **Guest (2):** Thank you so much! So happy you enjoyed it! Hope you find your way back and read this chap as well.

* * *

 **3 years earlier (roughly two weeks after the coffee stain).**

Elsa was bored.

No not only bored, she was restless and she didn't know what to do. Normally she would've called any of her friends. However, Jack and Merida was away for the weekend to meet with Merida's parents while Anna and Kristoff were still too much in love to be around without her brother.

Not that they weren't adorable, it was just she could only take so much adorable.

Then of course Punzie had the night shift at the hospital and Eugene… Well she had no idea what he was doing, but if she knew him right he wouldn't be sitting at home doing nothing at all.

So in other words she was on her own... and she pretty much had nothing to do.

Sighing Elsa finally managed to get up from her sofa and she looked over her small apartment. At times it could be an utter disaster with clothes laying everywhere, but for once it was actually cleaned. So she couldn't do that, not that she felt like cleaning either.

This was the downside of being the only person who was single in their group of friends. They never made her feel secluded, not ever, but there were still times when their lives differed so much from her own that she was left behind a little. It could be something so simple as actually having a date when attend going to the movies or just have someone to lean on at times. Or at times like this when you just wanted someone around.

It was true that she normally she didn't care. She liked being alone to think and regain energy. She was a true introvert, she loved her friends and she was social, but she didn't strive to gain new contacts and she needed time alone sometimes to just be her. But then there were times when she missed the simple presence of someone you connected with.

This was one of those times. She missed someone to talk to, she didn't want to be alone.

Picking up the book she had been reading, she put it back on the bookshelf before turning on the TV. Nothing to watch, except an add for Doctor Who. She had discovered the show not too long ago and had, despite it not being her usual genre, fallen for it very quickly. Matt Smith was one of the reasons, though she was never going to admit it to anyone.

Turning off the TV again she picked up her phone, logging into it only to be greeted by her conversation with Hiccup where she had left it. They had talked last night and it had become very late. It had not even been anything important, they had just gotten lost in conversation which they already did so very often.

It was only two weeks since they had run into each other and gone for coffee, but it felt like she had known him for much longer. When he had met the rest of the group, it had amazed her how quickly he had fitted into their dynamic. He had even been able to tackle Merida thanks to his quick wit and their interaction had been very entertaining to watch. Even more so when Jack had asked Hiccup how he more easily could deal with Mer and she had hit Jack in the head, declaring that he would be sleeping on the couch for a week.

Since their first coffee, Elsa and Hiccup had managed to get in a few lunches, he had also joined them at the pub this Thursday. Kai had been sending Elsa approving looks all night that she had tried to ignore, but she had felt strangely happy by his immature behaviour. Hiccup, thankfully, had been blissfully ignorant. Or at least she hoped he had.

And then of course there was the texting. And the long conversations over the phone. She had spoken to him nearly every day for the past week and even though it hadn't even been 24 hours since their last conversation she had already considered countless times to send him a text or not. The only reason she hadn't was because she didn't want him to think she was stalking him.

Throwing a glance at her bookcase, Elsa looked at the three bottles of wine that were laying on one of the shelves. Hiccup had taken over Jack's old apartment, which was owned by their company, when Jack and Merida had finally bought a place of their own. It meant he only lived a few minutes walk away from her. It wasn't much.

Maybe she could walk over? But then again that was even worse than just calling, and she couldn't just barge in could she? He had told her she was free to come over whenever she wanted to and only yesterday he had said that he had nothing planned for the weekend. Which meant he was probably home, but that didn't mean he wanted company. Even if it had sounded like he had implied it.

Also, she still hadn't actually seen what he had done with the apartment and he had told her she would have to sometime. So if both of them had nothing to do, when would be a better time than now to see how he lived?

Feeling a small surge of excitement at the prospect of seeing him, she groaned slightly in despair and buried her head in her hands.

They still didn't know each other very well, sure they talked, a lot, but it had only been two weeks. Yet each time they met she only became more and more intrigued by him. After each time she couldn't wait to see him again. What was he doing to her? Why did she want to be around him all the time? Of course she knew, she could feel the directio her emotions were going.

She had connected with people before, but not like this. Not this fast. She had never been so comfortable around anyone so quickly.

And she didn't want to take it further for now, she was not ready. She wanted them to be friends, she wanted to get to know him even better. She had to know it was real before she moved forward, and that he might have some similar pull to her. But if she didn't see him, how could she learn in which direction this was going?

When she was with him she gained energy; she didn't feel like she needed time alone since they both enjoyed moments to breathe at times. She had quickly noticed he was a watcher as well. He had winked at her last Thursday when Jack, Kristoff and Eugene had been in a heated discussion with the rest of the girls. He had noticed she was just watching and analyzing as well.

Maybe she shouldn't walk over.

But then again maybe he wasn't home and then she would've gotten a small walk. She needed some exercise.

Trying to ignore that her longing to see him rose even more, she made her decision. Quickly Elsa changed from her sweatpants and old, washed out tank top to jeans and a simple T-shirt.

She didn't want to look like she had tried to dress up in any way simply because they might possibly hang out, but she didn't have to look like a mess either. Looking in the mirror, she debated with herself whether she should put on any makeup or not, and in the end she just put on a little mascara. Her hair was in a slightly messy braid so she let it be.

A little touched up but still relaxed, that was perfect... not that she was never going to admit to herself that she actually cared about how she wanted to look in front of... no one. No, this was just to be comfortable.

Taking one of the bottles with her, Elsa put on her thin trench coat and headed towards Jack's old apartment before she could change her mind.

* * *

The summer was slowly going towards the end and while it was still just the beginning of autumn Elsa was already looking forward to the winter. Both she and Jack had always loved it. It was something magical watching the snow cover the world and, also, there were the snowball fights.

She and Jack were the undefeated masters. Some of their victories from their school years had gone down in history. Well, the history of young schoolchildren, which meant they would soon be forgotten, but still it was something.

When Elsa reached the building Hiccup now lived in she tried Jack's old security code, not very surprised when the door buzzed open. The code hadn't been changed for years. Walking up the stairs to the third floor she stopped outside Hiccup's door and she suddenly all her nerves made themselves known again.

This wasn't only stupid, it was also very rude. Maybe he just wanted to be left alone? She couldn't just barge into someone's life! Or what if he took it all the wrong way? What if he thought she was trying make a move on him or insinuate something? Maybe he would find it uncomfortable? Even if she really had thought she had sensed an underlying attraction between them, they had both silently decided not to talk about it.

Or he would invite her in and expect something. Or he would tell her he wasn't interested and try to tell it to her in a kind way. That would be awkward and so unnecessary since it would ruin the simpleness between them.

And yet here she was, standing outside his door with a bottle of wine. Even if he didn't think she was insinuating something, he might still think she was being clingy... Or that she was a stalker, he could think that as well. After all, who couldn't handle being alone even if they were so restless they almost crawled out of their own skin?

No she couldn't do this. It had been a stupid idea.

But before she even had the time to turn, Elsa's phone buzzed in her pocket, telling her she had just gotten a new text. It was from Hiccup, him wondering if she by any possibility knew if any food stores were still open in town.

So he was home and he had just texted her. It was silly really since it was such a generic question, but she was still happy he had chosen to text her.

God, she was in deep water already, wasn't she?

Still before her new courage left her she took a deep breath and rang the bell to his apartment. Waiting anxiously, she felt her nerves turning her stomach more and more into a knot. Then she heard him turning the lock and he stood before her.

His hair was even more of a mess than usual, his glasses a little on the side. He wore washed out jeans and simple green shirt that was a bit too large. It was very clear he hadn't been expecting company, for he simply stared at her with surprise. The extremely causal look made another surge of nerves rush through her, though these she pushed down and hunted away.

And for the first time ever, he just blinked at her a few times as if uncertain she really stood there before him. Then he apparently gathered his thoughts for a small grin spread over his face.

"Had I known you were on your way over I simply could've asked you to stop by the store on your way here. But considering you were apparently already outside my door it looks like I would've been too late no matter what." He told her with amusement, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned against the doorway.

Why did he have to do that? Did he plan on looking... well...

Men!

"Yes you would've, especially considering it closed over an hour ago." Elsa only answered him with a pointed look while ignoring her own inner thoughts.

"I know." He chuckled, Elsa feeling how a grin of her own spread over her face. So he knew that did he?

"Then why did you ask me if it was open?" She replied innocently, doing her best not to laugh when Hiccup looked a little embarrassed for a second before masking it fairly well.

"Just wanted to make sure." He answered, not looking at her.

"Of course you did. And what did you need?" She asked, acting as if it was nothing out of the ordinary with his remark.

"Everything, I'm pretty much out of everything to be honest." He replied a little sheepishly.

"Well I bring wine, is that offering enough?" Elsa asked, holding up the wine bottle.

"I don't know... but I suppose it'll do." He grinned at her stepping to the side and gesturing for her to come inside.

"Not picky at all I hear." Elsa told him, taking off her coat and looking around.

"I really haven't done much with it yet; I haven't had the time to go to any shop because of work." Hiccup explained to her as she took in the almost empty apartment. It was one room with a small alcove for the bed and while it had been pretty empty when Jack lived there as well, it was even worse now.

Sure he had a kitchen table and a sofa had been placed in the apartment, along with a TV, but that was about it. There were no paintings on the wall, no carpets, no nothing really. It was all just white.

"Hiccup, why haven't you asked if you could borrow one of our cars if you had a problem going shopping?" She asked him with slight disbelief, Hiccup rising an eyebrow and giving her a pointed look.

"Yeah, because that's what you ask the first time you meet someone. Besides it's really not that bad." He shrugged, apparently completely unfazed.

"It really is; I'm taking you shopping at IKEA tomorrow, I don't care what you say or what you have planned, we're going." Elsa told him, Hiccup just looking at her in amusement while he put down two glasses on the small table in front of the sofa.

"Yes mom." He answered, Elsa hitting him lightly in the side.

"Oh trust me, we'll have our hands full parenting and looking after our two fellow companions. If we were to go without Anna and Punzie and they were to find out they'd kill us both, so they're joining. Which means we'll be there the whole day and your apartment will never be the same." Elsa grinned at him, Hiccup frowning as he gave her a glass now filled with wine.

"I think I'd rather live like this than experience that." He muttered, Elsa chuckling at the fact he apparently had already figured out what the experience would most likely be like.

"Which is why I usually never go if Mer is not there to help me keep them in line. But I think you and I can manage them quite well with combined forces." Elsa answered.

"You think?"

"Of course, I trust you to have my back." She told him, the words slipping out much faster than she would've wanted them to, so instead of meeting his gaze she looked around the small apartment once more.

She hadn't been here since Jack moved out and it was a little strange that someone else lived here now. When the apartment had belonged to her brother, everything had been a total mess, but now everything was in order. It was all very clean and somehow it suited the view she had already gotten of Hiccup.

"I still can't believe my dad didn't do more with this place." She said thoughtfully.

"I really don't mind, as long as I have someplace to work I'm fine, honestly." Hiccup told her, Elsa throwing a look at the computer that was standing on the table as well.

"But you could've asked for more. I swear dad has talked about nothing but you since you signed the contract. He thinks you're brilliant and he is really pleased with how quickly you've adapted to everything here, how quickly you've adjusted." She told him honestly, Hiccup blushing slightly as he looked away from her.

"I hardly think I deserve that praise, however" He continued before she could interrupt him to tell him the opposite. "I'm not really in need of much more. I have somewhere to live, to sleep and return to when I wish. Your dad hadn't needed to offer me this place at all." He told her, Elsa staring at him for a little while until he felt a little uncomfortable under her thoughtful gaze.

"What?" He asked and Elsa smiled at him a little, looking at him like he was actually interesting. It still surprised him constantly she that honestly seemed to think so.

"It's just you're so humble about all this, I know how many companies that tried to hire you and still you're just…" She trailed off looking for the right word. "I don't know; you really see the value in the little things it seems. Most would've done everything they could to gain as much as possible, or taken the position that offered them the most material things." She finished and Hiccup tried to read her, but her face had closed slightly.

What she said was true. He had been given offers that would have given him more in a material way, but looking at what he could gain from this job and how much he could develop there really hadn't been a choice to be made. In any other company, it would've taken him years to reach the position he already had.

"It's true, but looking to the trust your father showed me that was unparalleled. I've been raised with little, learning that while money makes life easier it doesn't bring us happiness or knowledge." He answered honestly, seeing Elsa frown a little.

"Are you insinuating I don't know that?" She asked, Hiccup shaking his head.

"I don't. I've not known you for long sure, but I think you're very grounded and have an understand not everyone has the same prospects in life. I think all of you have that understanding. And you know we come from different parts of society, I know you looked into my history when I got hired." Hiccup told her honestly.

"They can't be that different." Elsa told him, Hiccup sighing mentally. He really didn't like to talk about this. It was not that he was ashamed of the fact his family had always struggled, but his father was an extremely proud man who wanted to keep everything within the family. He also simply didn't find it important, it really didn't matter.

But he wanted Elsa to understand that their lives really had been different. He needed her to know that she might not look at things the way she did since he had gained them in another way. He wanted her to know since he wanted to see if she really could understand, if he should allow himself to let her in deeper.

"You know I was lucky to go to uni on a scholarship. If I hadn't gotten that, I wouldn't have been able to go at all. I was even more lucky to get a job like this." He began, Elsa giving him her full attention.

"Your dad maybe didn't offer the most, but he offered me the best deal that counted. He has given me a position I that would've taken me years to gain anywhere else and he is going to make sure I can continue developing. Growing up I never got something simply because I wanted to, I started working when I was twelve and I've always seen pride in earning my own keep in life. I don't want others to give me stuff simply because they can, anyone can get the material things. I want to earn my own and know I did it, it has value to me and I'm never going to ask for more simply because I can." He finished.

It felt strange how the words had flowed out from him, but Elsa had managed to hit a sore chord within. He didn't come from the same world as she did, it was that simple. It didn't matter how much he rarely noticed it. Tonight he had and for a moment they sat in silence before Elsa broke it.

"How you must despise us." She told him quietly, staring at him with an unreadable expression. She gave nothing away at all. He didn't know if she was already offended and would walk out, or if she just wanted to see what he would say. No matter what, he knew being honest was the best option, he was not going to pretend to be someone he was not. Nor would he lie about what he thought about her.

"Do you think I would have hung out with you if I did?" He therefore only asked her just as quietly.

"I hope not." She told him, her facade falling slightly to show that she actually seemed very insecure.

"I know your family built your company from nothing, how hard you all work which makes you earn what you gain from it. You're all driving forces. Rapunzel works at the hospital since she isn't interested in the business and Eugene told me how she uses most of her salary each month to different donations, something I actually don't doubt despite only knowing you all very shortly. Anna works full time as a teacher and helps with charity. What you have you've earned, just like I want to." He told her, Elsa not meeting his gaze.

"Maybe you are trying to climb the ladder then." She responded, looking at him with eyes that suddenly was extremely vulnerable and insecure. She looked fragile. It made realize there was a story behind her statement so, instead of getting angry, he kept his emotions under control despite being very offended by her remark. On a sudden whim he also reached out and took her hand in his own.

At his action she looked at him with slight surprise, but she didn't pull back Instead she just squeezed his hand lightly. A silent thanks.

"Have that happened before?" He asked her, a humorless smile spreading over her face.

"Would I have asked if it hadn't?" She replied with a sad tone, repeating his words. "The first time I remember someone trying to use our family through me I was five. Me and Jack had both started with hockey, mom couldn't get me to skate no matter what even if it was more girly. Our trainers tried making our parents to invest in the club, saying between the lines that they could overlook certain things and put us through faster if they did. But Jack and I didn't care, we were just kids who wanted to have fun. We quit after a while, but it always comes back. People have a tendency of always seeing the money first."

Seeing the slightly bitter expression on her face, Hiccup got a knew there was more to this than she let on, but he didn't want to pry too much. If she had felt comfortable telling him, she would've.

"It must be hard, not knowing who to let in and who just wants to get close for other reasons." He told her, feeling a slight tingle within when her ice blue eyes softened and turned warm.

"I think that's a problem everyone has, even though the reasons why people wants to get close to you differ. But you learn to see the signs." She said, looking down at their hands which were still joined and he was happy she was aware that everyone could get used. People had wanted to use him to gain things most of his life. It was the jocks in school who wanted him to do their schoolwork, the less honorable teens who wanted him to keep his dad away from them and the girls who had wanted a foot in with his friends. In later years there had also been everyone who had wished to get free passes from him in his line of work.

Still when it came to money he knew it could different, lies that were much greater and stakes that were much higher. That could make anyone wary.

"You know, when someone accepts you even before he knows who you are that is usually one of the good signs." Elsa suddenly told him causally, Hiccup smiling a little at her.

"Really?"

"It is. As is not asking for favours or taking things for granted even after he knows." She told him, pausing a minute before looking into his eyes with a serious expression. "I'm sorry that I acted a little bossy before. I can understand why you didn't want to ask us for favors yet, or at all. I didn't consider you could think we might take it the wrong way and I really should have understood you simply might not want help either. It was rude of me not to think about that. It was rude of me to assume things and for me not respecting that you want to do things on your own. I admire it, being so independent." She told him honestly.

Not really knowing how to respond to the fact that she had just apologized to him, he thankfully didn't have to since she looked down at their joined hands, a slightly cautious look on her face.

"Still, you might be glad to hear you passed the test amongst all of us very quickly and you only keep on showing us that you're the one you appear to be. You shouldn't feel like you can't ask us for help." She told him, her words causing Hiccup to frown slightly.

"Glad to hear I've been thoroughly evaluated." He responded dryly, not at all liking the fact that they had so obviously thought he might have ulterior motives.

"Well, something tells me you've done some evaluating yourself considering your own reasoning about us as a family in such a short period of time." She told him with a pointed look. Hiccup feeling slightly embarrassed at how easily she saw through him and that he just had allowed his own prejudice so easily take over.

"You're right, sorry." He told her, Elsa just shaking her head.

"Don't apologize, I'm happy we can talk with each other without feeling we have to hide." She answered. "And just so you know, I really meant it when I offered us to go to IKEA tomorrow, it was not just something I said. This place really needs a touch up." Elsa told him innocently with a small smile. Looking at her he saw the small glint of mischief, though he had no reason why.

"If you really want to spend your Sunday shopping candles or whatever you're thinking about, then I really appreciate it. Though you must know I really don't see the point. White is a nice colour." Hiccup told her, happy when Elsa sighed and threw out her hands with an amused smile, both of them only now noticing they had never let go of each others hands until now.

"Are all men this hopeless?" She exclaimed. "I swear Jack wanted everything to be black and white when he moved in here. Anna and I had to literary fight him to buy a green carpet instead of a black one so there was at least a hint of colour."

"I'm not buying a green carpet." Hiccup told her quickly with a slightly scared expression that only caused Elsa to send him a smug smile.

"I'm not gonna force you to buy anything. Anna and Punzie though..."

"I'll never make it out alive will I?" Hiccup groaned, already seeing how the two women would run around all over the place. At his miserable face, Elsa only laughed.

"Probably not, but I'll do my best to keep you alive. Promise!" She smiled at him.

"That's really reassuring since you can really take them on." Hiccup answered her with a fair amount of sarcasm. "But still, if it will get you to stop complaining about this place when you come over I think I can survive the torture."

Even though he said it with humor, his words still caused Elsa's heart to flutter a little and she had to fight the small blush that wanted to spread over her cheeks when meeting his kind eyes.

Slow! Things were supposed to go slow. They were friends and that was it. They were getting to know each other. A break, she needed a break.

"We need something with this." She therefore said, rising from the sofa quickly and walking over the the fridge to find it almost completely empty. Only a few bottles of beer and some yoghurt. "You really weren't kidding when you said you had nothing home, no wonder you're so skinny." She commented.

"I will very much try not to be offended by that." Hiccup laughed as he walked over to her and, watching him from the corner of her eye, Elsa knew her earlier remark wasn't true. Hiccup was not bulky in any way, but that didn't mean he was either skinny nor thin. Even though his muscles weren't prominent, it was very clear he was in actually in very good shape and stronger...

Slow, remember?!

"Well, do you have berries of any kind?" She asked, trying to distract herself, failing miserably when Hiccup sent her a questioning look and walked up next to her. Opening the fridge he, to her surprise, took out a package of raspberries out of the fridge.

So he had that had he but nearly nothing else? Strange man.

"And sugar?" She asked, happy that the mixer had been one of the things that had stayed in the apartment.

"I'm an American, do you really need to ask that?" He chuckled, his remark causing her to smile while she took the yoghurt out of the fridge. "What on earth are you going to do with that?" He asked when she starting pouring it all down into the mixer.

"A somewhat okay complement to ice cream. It works, trust me. Anna and I used to do it all the time when we were younger." She told him, Hiccup just gesturing for her to continue, staring at her with a very legit sceptical expression the whole time.

* * *

"You're biased!" Hiccup exclaimed in frustration while Elsa simply glared at him.

"I'm not! I prefer Matt Smith as the Doctor because I find him to be more alien and much more powerful in his performance than David Tennant."

"He's also all over the place." Hiccup replied.

"I don't agree with you. He IS the Doctor; he lives that role!" She said, Hiccup staring at her as if trying to see through her.

"Was he your first Doctor?" He suddenly asked, Elsa trying to keep her face unreadable.

"Maybe." She only answered.

"He was, wasn't he?" Hiccup grinned, Elsa taking the blanket and throwing it at him which only made his grin grow.

"So what if he was?" She asked.

"You always have a special relationship with your first they say." Hiccup chuckled. "Also I think you're only this stubborn because you're attracted to him." He added, Elsa simply staring at him in response. "You know strong jaw, dark hair, bowtie." He continued, noticing how her eyes, which were a little hazy from the wine and the beer she had taken later on, travelled over his face.

"I must be so, after all you only need a bowtie to complete the picture." She replied with a smile, Hiccup knowing that if he hadn't been slightly affected by the alcohol as well he would've stuttered and blushed at her obvious flirting. But now his, at the moment alcohol, new best friend kept him from getting embarrassed. Instead he only snorted at her words.

"Right! You'd have to kill me before you managed with that."

"I think some help from the rest of gang would've been enough." She told him, her eyes landing on his phone when it stared ringing, a name appearing on the screen. "Astrid? Sorry I shouldn't have watched." She told him, looking a little sheepish.

"No harm done, I promised to connect with her over the screen tonight. Would you like to meet her?" He asked on a whim.

"I'm not intruding anything?" Elsa asked carefully, feeling a strange sense of relief when Hiccup only smiled at her. He had told her he had no one back in the States, but it was nearly on the other side on the world so you never knew.

"Hardly, Astrid is my sister. Not my real sister but you get the point." He answered her, logging into his computer. When the screen lit up, Elsa saw the photo of two a skydiver and one she very much recognized.

"Was that you?" She asked curiously when he opened an app and the picture disappeared, Hiccup looking at her with a slightly confused expression before he seemed to realize what she had referred to.

"Yeah, me and a friend." He told her evasively, Elsa only becoming even more curious.

"You've been skydiving?"

"Some." He responded, Elsa sending him a sceptical look. "Okay quite a lot actually. I have a D-license and I've been working as an instructor for a couple of years now." He answered her.

"I have no idea what a D-license is." Elsa replied with a confused look.

"It means I've done a certain amount of jumps and that I'm allowed to tandem jump. It also requires some other stuff, that you've done night jumps for example." He told her like it was no big deal at all, Elsa staring at him with wide eyes

"Are you serious?! Night jumps? Who jumps at night? How long have you been doing this?"

"I started when I was eighteen so I've been doing it for six years officially. As for jumping at night it's actually very fun." He grinned, Elsa giving him a suspicious look.

"What do you mean officially?"

"Might have been so that I started a little earlier off the record and my mentor, Tooth who was in the picture with me, tweaked my age a little so I could start working for him faster. That's how I payed him back for taking me under his wings." Hiccup told her, very amused over her stunned expression. "Hey, it was the only thing I was really good at and I love the kick. You should try it sometime." He added with glowing eyes, laughing when Elsa paled.

"Never in a million years! Jumping out of an airplane?! That's insane!" She told him. "Do you have a death wish?" She asked, looking completely serious.

"I actually didn't think you were such a scaredy-cat." He chuckled, Elsa simply glaring at him. "It's actually very safe, you always go over your equipment and there is always two parachutes. Unless you start doing something stupid or testing fate, there really is nothing to worry about."

"Except falling to your death." Elsa muttered.

"The free falling is actually the best part." He grinned at her, Elsa once again looking like she questioned his sanity. He was about to say something when he got an incoming call and answered it instead, a blond very pretty woman appearing on the screen. "Astrid could you tell Elsa it's safe to skydive?" He asked the woman on the screen.

"Hi to you too! I'm fine thank you very much for asking." The blond woman, Astrid, told him on the other side of the screen with a smile. "As for your lady friend's worries, it's really is as safe as it can be considering you're jumping from an airplane." She answered, giving Elsa a longer look. "A ten pointer, good job Hiccup." She said, sounding a little impressed.

"I'm not his lady friend and, for the record, I'm the one who dragged him in not the other way around." Elsa told Astrid with a grin, Astrid laughing happily.

"And here I thought he had finally grown a pair, but I suppose it'll have to do. I'm Astrid by the way. Oldest friend and protector in every way to the once geeky, lanky guy sitting next to you. And even though he has grown into himself I still have to protected, but only from being ravished from all the women he obliviously misses instead."

"Astrid." Hiccup told her sternly, she and Elsa only exchanging a knowing look that only made him extremely confused.

"I'm Elsa. And I have no problem seeing the need for that kind of protection." Elsa replied, the two women both laughing while Hiccup looked between, bewildered over how they could bond over the screen in a matter of seconds. He would never understand women.

"I'm still here you know." He told them, Elsa and Astrid only sharing a look.

"Yes and I've known you for 24 years, I know everything I need to know about you. I knew nothing about her until now." Astrid told him with a grin as he sent her a small glare.

"You haven't told her about us? How often do you talk?" Elsa asked confused, Hiccup's attempt to tell Astrid to shut it turning out to be hopeless. She saw his look, she just chose to ignore it.

"At least once a week." Astrid replied with a smug smile. "And he has mentioned some new friends he met, but he hast said anything specific about you. Defiantly not that you two hang around alone. Not that I would worry, that only means he has wanted to keep you to himself for a moment more."

"Is that so?" Elsa only responded, sending him a slightly amused look that made Hiccup wonder how he ever could've thought entering Astrid into the picture was a good idea. He was already regretting it.

"You do know I hate you right now? No one can turn nothing into something like you do." He told Astrid, his old friend sending him a knowing smile but thankfully said nothing.

"I love you too." Astrid only replied, Elsa's smile growing at their exchange. "So how are things getting on, if you apparently overlook the fact that you've already found company."

"Astrid, friends okay?" Hiccup told her with a sigh, Astrid turning her attention to Elsa.

"Are you two only friends?" Astrid asked with a pointed look.

"We are actually." Elsa answered, looking at him.

"So you're both delusional, I can already see that I'll soon not dare to call unannounced anymore. Now stop looking at each other, you two are giving me the creeps." Astrid told them on the other side, holding her hands over her eyes which caused both of them to chuckle slightly.

And just like when Hiccup had met the rest of the gang, the conversation just seemed to flow from there between the three of them, Elsa getting a good understanding to how Hiccup had been able to tackle Merida so well the first day. She could only imagine the outcome if Astrid and Merida were ever in the same room. The world would never be safe again.

"I really like her." Elsa told Hiccup when they ended the call, Hiccup rising to put away the glasses.

"Astrid is one of a kind, but she is the best friend you could ever ask for. She would do anything for you, she is unlike any other." He answered her and Elsa didn't doubt his words. In a way, it made her very happy to know he had people in his life he trusted so much.

"I can imagine that." She replied, feeling how her eyes begged her to close them for just a second. Looking at the clock, she saw it was three in morning. She had stayed so much longer than she had intended to and she really should go home.

And she would go home, she just needed to close her eyes for a moment. She just needed to take a moment to gather some energy. Besides it was so very calming hearing Hiccup in the background. It was so nice having just having him there.

Turning around, Hiccup stopped to look at Elsa who had curled up on his sofa. She was breathing slowly, hugging a pillow under her head with a peaceful expression on her face. He hadn't noticed she had fallen asleep since he had been lost in his own thoughts, pondering over the fact that Elsa had managed to bond so extremely quickly with one of the most distrusting persons he knew.

Astrid was always hard on other people and she judged everyone harshly, but still she and Elsa had hit off perfectly at once. It made him very happy that Astrid seemed to have given her approval, for her opinion mattered a lot to him. It didn't matter if he and Elsa just stayed friends, he still wanted her to get along with the ones who was most important to him.

Walking up to her, Hiccup felt how a feeling of protectiveness fell over him. It was strange how easily they got along, it just somehow worked between them. He didn't know where it would take them, but he knew that even it would never be right to act on the frightening feelings that had started to stir slightly in him, he wanted them to be friends.

For a second he wondered if he would try to move her from the sofa to the bed. It went against his instincts that she would take the sofa, but she looked so extremely relaxed that he didn't have the heart to move her in case she would wake up. She had been tired for the last hours.

So instead of moving her he only took the blanket she had thrown at him earlier and put it over her, a small smile spreading over her face when he did. Looking at her for a moment more, a warm feeling started to spread a little within.

Fuck, he was in big trouble already indeed.

Sighing, Hiccup lay on top of the covers on his bed and stared up into the celling. This needed to go slow, he had to know they could work it out. He wanted them to become right if it ever became anything more. He felt how much he already wanted that possible future to work, barely noticing how he for the first time since he had moved easily fell asleep to the sound of Elsa's calm breathing.

* * *

 **So a date but not a date? Kinda? So this was the big kickoff for it all really. Now the next chapter will be... *drumroll* The Door Incident! Or it will be if nothing happens, you never know what can happen after all. Also this means I'm moving this story to the M-section when I publish the next chapter. So of you don't want to lose track of it, like it or just change the filters when coming to the site!**

 **As for Skydiving, I did a little amount of research, but if I got anything wrong I apologize and hope you can roll with it!**

 **Now I'll enjoy freedom for about two days (wrote my exam today!) before I have to start studying for the next exam... But hey, that's life!**

 **Oh! And looks like I'll be moving to Canada for the autumn to study! So does anyone know how to find a place to live in Edmonton perhaps= Haha, I need all the help I can get!**

 **Until next time!**  
 **/Lysistrate**

* * *

 **"Frozen in time" responses;**

 **Laidyx:** Thank you, thank you for your kind words! So happy you loved it and I'm happy your heart healed each time! I was in a dark place and the story did become pretty black. Now I'm even happier I wrote in the happy ending, dare I say I hadn't planned it in the beginning? But they did deserve each other and I love them together, so in the end, they had to have each other.  
Thank you! This semester is crazy (I knew it going in but still...) I do wish I could sleep in the mornings as well. Enjoy it! Haha ;)

 **Noctus Fury:** Thank you so, so much! I really didn't know if I wanted to publish it, but from your responses I'm glad I did. It was a reflection of my emotions at the time and hope is such an important part of life I wanted it to be the center without taking the obvious lead. So I'm very glad you noticed it and liked the happy ending! :D  
Glad you're excited for another longer story! I've one in the works, but it will take time. This one is a hard one for me so far, but I'll figure it out. And maybe there will be babies? I don't know haha!  
Love your ideas! Might not be impossible, with your consent of course, I might incorporate them into something in the future. But that is for another time and without any promises! Once again, thank you for always reviewing!


	5. Chapter 5: The silver linings

**This chapter is not what I promised so long ago. It's not something I ever thought would come into this story, but I needed to write it. Things have changed so much in the past months and now they are changing again. I hope this, in a way, explains my absence and that I haven't responded to your reviews for which I apologize. This chapter is only written to give light into something many go through, myself included.**

* * *

 **4 years after first meeting**

A loud crash echoed through the kitchen, causing both Elsa and her mother to jump and turn to the sound.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Anna said with slight panic, staring with wide eyes at the glass bowl she had manged to knock down when she had reached for the chocolate she now held in her hands.

"How on earth did you know it was in that cupboard?" Their mother asked shocked, Elsa doing her best to hide her smile at Anna's slightly red face.

"Natural instinct?" She answered hesitantly, their mother giving her a scolding look for a second more before a slightly conspirator look entered her face.

"I won't tell we took some if you two don't." She smiled, all three of them chuckling a little.

"We heard a crash and…" They turned to see Hiccup stopping to stare at the broken bowl on the floor and then throwing a look at Anna who was hiding the chocolate behind her back. "I'll get the broom to clean it up." He said, throwing Elsa eyes an amused glance which caused her to blush slightly at the love in his green eyes. Seeing him disappear to help clean up, happiness spread like warmth within.

He had become a natural part of their family. Sure it had taken some time for _one_ of her parents to ease up on him, but that had only been expected.

Seeing her mother's knowing look at their exchange, Elsa quickly returned her attention to the cake they had been decorating before.

"I can't believe he knows every single time that it's most likely me." Anna sighed and sat down on one of the chairs which stood next to Elsa, pouting slightly.

"Honey, everyone knows that. I'm sad to say it but you've always been a little clumsy. I remember when you would learn to walk, I had a helmet on you just to be sure you didn't bump your head." Their mother said casually as she finished her small marzipan figure of a dog and carefully put it on the cake.

"Aren't parents supposed to be supporting their children?" Anna asked, their mother laughing warmly.

"They are, but also they're also supposed to be honest and not lie to them. Sometimes we just must face the truth darling." She said.

"Well, you've always gotten the honest part right." Anna smiled. "I'll go outside and prepare the others for the cake." She said, jumping down from her seat and sneaking out the door just as Hiccup came back inside.

"She bolted didn't she?" He asked, seeing the person in question was indeed missing.

"You'll have to be faster next time Hiccup." Idun smiled at him, turning to her daughter to see Elsa still arranging a candle that was already perfectly placed on the cake.

Meeting her soon to be son-in-law's understanding and soft gaze over the room, she reluctantly knew this was one of those moments which no longer belonged to her. It hurt knowing there were times Hiccup could comfort her daughter better than herself, but that was all part of your children finding someone in their life they trusted and loved.

Thankfully if there was anyone she found worthy to give up these moments to, and who she trusted could offer her daughter comfort, it was the young man standing across the room. It sure gave her unparallel happiness that Elsa had found him.

"I'll go outside as well if there is nothing more that needs to be done here." She said softly, Elsa looking up at her with ice blue eyes that matched her own. Her oldest daughter had always kept her emotions a little more to herself than her siblings, but Idun knew she felt everything very deeply. They all did. It was both the curse and the blessing of their family, and knowing her daughter was so much like herself she knew how heavy it could be to carry all those emotions alone at times.

"No I'll just light the candles and we'll join you soon." Elsa said, giving her a week smile and Idun nodded her head, giving her daughter's shoulder a squeeze before walking out of the kitchen with a similar heaviness around her as well. Having seen the pain in Elsa's eyes, she knew exactly how her daughter was feeling and she knew that if she had stayed it Elsa would've been having to comfort her instead. This really was a time when she needed Hiccup more than her mother.

Staring at the cake, Elsa felt empty inside as the emotions and reality suddenly crashed over her again from nowhere once again as the same questions as always ran through her head; How could it had happened? And why?

Feeling a warm hand carefully on her arm, she turned around and happily buried her head in Hiccup's chest as his arms wrapped around her.

"It's not fair." She whispered as the tears started to fall. It felt like she was about to be swallowed into a dark hole and had he not been there she provably would've. But now he was a steady warmth holding her together, filling her with more emotions than just sorrow and pain.

"I know." He whispered back to her softly.

"It just came over me again that this probably will be the last time." She sobbed, Hiccup kissing her head and, despite the darkness within, her love for him broke through at the small gesture. His comfort was so simple, but just what she needed.

As she slowly started to regain control over her raging emotions they simply stood in silence holding each other. Then as her tears finally stopped, they carefully broke their embrace as Hiccup took a napkin and carefully dried her eyes.

"Thank you." She told him with a small smile which he returned. His eyes were so full of love and compassion that she once again wondered how he could even be real, even less hers.

"Anytime." He said, Elsa giving him small kiss before taking a deep breath.

"Come on, we've got to get moving or they'll think we've escaped with the cake." She said, Hiccup giving her smile before he started lighting the candles with the argument he couldn't trust her with a lighter since she once had manged to burn herself a little.

Smiling at him, Elsa knew he was trying to lighten up her feelings a little, and she loved him for it.

"Ready?" She asked, Hiccup nodding. Placing a smile on her face, she picked up the plate where the big cake was resting and carefully they began their way outside.

It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining and there was not a cloud in the sky. It was early spring and the birds were singing. The trees were had just gotten their leaves and the world was coming back to life.

The weather was a strange contrast to the heavy feelings which accompanied the day.

"Here's the cake." Elsa announced with a big smile as they got closer to the patio where their whole family was gathered, everyone turning to them and smiling widely as she carefully placed it on the table.

"It's so beautiful." Rapunzel said, Jack walking up next to Anna to put his arm around her shoulders.

"And in one piece. I thought it was the cake you dropped when we heard the crash." He grinned at her, Anna sending him a glare.

"I told you it wasn't."

"Yeah but you never know until you have proof." Jack answered.

"I'll drop the next one on your head if you're not careful." She snapped.

"No need to argue." Their father scolded gently from where he sat by the table with the cake in front of him.

"Sorry dad." They said in unison with sheepish expressions.

"How about we sing?" Their mother said and they all gathered around the table, Elsa taking Hiccup's hand and giving it a gentle squeeze right before they all started singing Happy Birthday to her father. Hiccup couldn't take the right notes if it were to save his life and that all of their family, including Eugene, were pretty musical and could sing always made him feel a little uncomfortable.

He used to say they all sounded like an unearthly choir when they all sang together like this and that he ruined it all by sounding like a screeching boar. It always caused Elsa to laugh, give him a kiss and tell him it wasn't that bad, for it really wasn't. Not that he ever totally believed her. Or he did and just never turned away from an opportunity to kiss her.

When they had all fished the song, Adgar looked up at all of them with a glowing smile.

"Thank you. It was lovely." He said, Elsa leaving Hiccup's side to go give her father a hug. "You always sound like an angel my dear." He whispered to her, Elsa holding back the tears that threatened to break free and collecting herself before letting go of him.

"Thank you. Now blow out the candles, I don't think Anna can wait much longer." She said, giving him a warm smile while her sister gave an affronted shout which caused their father to chuckle.

Seeing him take a deep breath, they all cheered when he blew out all the candles.

When he picked up the knife to cut the cake, Elsa subtly placed her hand over his shaking one to steady it. Together they cut the first slice and Elsa carefully placed it on his plate.

"Thank you darling." He smiled at her, Elsa smiling back at him as the joyous chatter began to spread around them once more. The cake was passed around and Hiccup sat down next to her, a comforting hand on her leg as they all laughed and talked about their lives as usual.

Next to Elsa, her father sat and listened to their conversations without saying much with a happy smile of his face. He looked extremely content, his eyes falling onto them all but mostly his children.

"You're not eating." Idun whispered to him, Adgar sending her a loving smile and taking her hand in his.

"I'm happy dear, don't worry." He told her quietly, her knowing and worried look telling him she knew he was not telling the truth, nor that she would stop worrying. However, at the content and joyous look on his face she decided to leave it be this time.

Slowly the afternoon started to turn darker as the sun started to descend and one couple after the other started to leave.

"You'll stay and help them clean up?" Jack asked Elsa in a quiet voice, the two of them having a moment for themselves as Merida was saying goodbye to their parents.

"Of course." She answered, seeing the torn look on his face.

"We should stay as well…"

"You have one of the most important meetings of your life tomorrow morning. You need to go home and prepare for it. I know you've been putting it off." Elsa told him gently, Jack sighing.

"I know, it's just… It was supposed to be his meeting you know? He has worked his whole life for this, I was not supposed to come in and take over this early." He said, the pain on his face one Elsa knew far too well. They all did.

"Nothing was supposed to be like this, but it is. You know what he would say if he heard you talking like this. He would say that…"

" _Life can never be dictated; I know you're ready son so go and make me proud_. I know." Jack cut in and finished for her with a sad smile, Elsa nodding as a small silence fell between them.

"For the record I know you're ready as well. You've always been the one of us who was made to take over the firm. You really can do it." She said softly, Jack smiling at her and giving her a big hug which she happily returned. They both needed it.

"Thanks Elsie. Thank God I have you." He whispered to her, Elsa hugging him tighter before they let go of each other.

"You always will." She answered.

"Text me when you leave and tell me how he was doing when you left okay?" He asked.

"You know I will." She said softly before they let go off each other and walked back to the others so Jack could say goodbye to their parents as well.

As she and Hiccup helped her parents to clean up, her father subtly asked if they had been talking anything about setting a date for their wedding. At his question Elsa and Hiccup exchanged a soft look.

"Actually we have." Elsa said, happy when Hiccup took her hand and smiling at her parents who glowed at them.

"You have? That's wonderful! Have you thought about a wedding planner? I know a few wonderful…" Her mother began excitedly, Elsa smiling and holding up a hand to stop her.

"We've talked and we just want a small ceremony." Elsa said.

"Yes, only the closest family and if you allow us, we would like to have it here." Hiccup filled in, Elsa's parents staring at them with big eyes.

"But you always wanted a grand wedding before." Her mother told Elsa carefully, Elsa grimacing.

"Hans wanted a big wedding, I never did. You know I don't like it when it gets too extravagant." She answered, her parents exchanging big smiles full of relief. They did know and it had not passed them by their daughter had not had anything to say the last time they had spoken about a wedding.

"We know." Her father answered, his eyes shining as he looked at them. "But are you sure you want it here?" He asked.

"If you allow us." Hiccup said quickly again, Elsa giving him a small smile.

"It would be perfect. We were thinking about a summer wedding and the garden is so beautiful during that time of the year. Besides I grew up here and there are so many good memories in this house." She added.

"I don't know if I would call it a house though." Hiccup said, Elsa's parents holding back their chuckles when their daughter where about to hit his arm but he only captured her hand instead and gave it a kiss before holding it in his.

The young couple knew each other better than they wanted to admit themselves.

"And what about your parents?" Adgar asked Hiccup, the young man who had become like a son to him giving him a small smile.

"They will probably have nothing against it. We're going to invite some of my closest friends as well if they have the opportunity to come." He said, Adgar walking up to him and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Whoever you wish son and let them know they don't have to worry about the costs. We'll accommodate them and make sure they get here and back without any expenses." He said, Hiccup looking a little stunned.

"That's extremely kind but that's not why I…"

"I know that's not why you said it. But you've given my daughter more happiness than I thought possible and you're already a part of the family. There is no favour, it's what family do and you deserve to have all of them here on your wedding day if they wish to come. Just like my daughter." Adgar said honestly, Hiccup feeling extremely grateful towards the other man.

"Thank you." He said, Adgar waving his thanks away before all of them sat down again and Idun tried getting as much information out of them as possible. Slowly they even started making up some plans, but when they saw Adgar starting to drift off slightly Elsa and Hiccup subtly excused themselves and said they needed to go home.

Following them out into the hallway, Adgar looked at both of them with the smile which had not left his face since they had told him about their plans.

"I'll have to make sure I can still fit into a suit in three months then." He said, Elsa chuckling at him.

"We'll make sure of it." She said, her father chuckling as well, but she could see the pained look in his eyes. "It will be perfect no matter what dad; we just want you there." She said, fighting back the tears which filled her eyes.

"You're not doing this just for me?" He asked, his face suddenly suspicious. Seeing the loving look between the pair when Hiccup took Elsa's hand and the sincere look on both of their faces, he relaxed.

"We had talked about it for some time now, we've been engaged for more than a year, and we didn't see the reason to push it forward anymore. At first we talked about a winter wedding but when the wedding happens doesn't matter. We have always wanted the wedding to be here and for it only to be a small ceremony. But most of all we just want everyone to be here." Hiccup said, Adgar getting tears in his eyes just like his daughter.

"I'm happy for you both." He said, clearing his throat slightly. "Now you should get going before it gets too dark." He added, Elsa smiling at him and reaching out to hug him one last time.

When his arms closed around her she remembered a time when she had been only a little girl and had been afraid of the thunder. She remembered how she would curl up next to her father and how he would hold her close. He would tell her stories or count the seconds with her between each rumble over the sky to know how far away the thunder was.

She had felt so safe then and even now when his arms were no longer strong, but thinner and weaker, and his whole frame seemed fragile in her arms she still felt safe and loved. She still felt protected.

He was still her dad.

"I love you daddy." She whispered to him, his weak hold increasing ever so slightly.

"I love you too darling, so much." He said softly.

Letting go of him, for a moment she barely saw his bald head or his loss of eyebrows. She didn't see the slight shift of tone in his pale skin, skin which she had only ever seen slightly sun kissed before all this. She didn't see his slightly sunken cheeks or how his cloths were too big for his thin frame. She didn't see that he hunched slightly, a clear sign his painkillers had started to wear off.

She only saw her father as he had always been and she realized his eyes were still the same. They were still alive, full of mischief, wisdom and love. He had not given up, far from it, and they all knew it.

Saying goodbye with a heavy heart, as always nowadays, she and Hiccup walked down the lane together towards their car. When Hiccup put his arm around her, she happily leaned into her fiancées side.

"He was much better today than he has been in a long time." Hiccup told her softly, Elsa nodding and feeling extremely grateful it was true.

"They are trying something new with the chemo, Rapunzel says it has had good results. They hope it will buy him some more time." She whispered, Hiccup looking down at her with loving and sad eyes.

"You saw him today; it will buy him more time. He will not give up, we both know he won't." Hiccup told her, drying away the lone tear that escaped her eyes.

"I know; I just wish that time was more than just a few months." She whispered with a sob, Hiccup brining her in for a new embrace while they comforted each other as new tears fell. The tears never seemed to stop or disappear in the new kind of vacuum which had become a part all of their lives a little more than five months ago when her father had gotten his death sentence. No more than a year of life left. Now it was a few months more to that verdict thanks to the new treatment, but not many.

They now lived one day at the time, where each good day was a blessing worth celebrating, while they tried to accept the fact that time was moving forward even if they wanted it to stop. The rest of the world acted as if nothing had happened at all, for to the big masses it hadn't. Now all they did was trying to follow the flow of the ordinary world even though their own was constantly followed and darkened by a heavy black shadow.

But together they got by, together they had to. They had each other, all of them, and together they made life work.

Together they found the silver linings of every day and every moment, knowing that they had to for their themselves, and mostly for her father.

* * *

 **My grandfather was diagnosed with terminal cancer in the beginning of the year. By some miracle, chemo worked wonders for him and his tumor (which cannot be operated) has almost disappeared, but it's so horrible seeing how frail this has made him.** **Three days ago, I found out my aunt's husband has been diagnosed with cancer as well and has been given a year to live. It's impossible to understand. He isn't even 60 years old. Seeing someone you love slowly disappearing, it might be the worst you can experience.**

 **What happens now I don't know, we can just hope. Life really does go on even if it feels like it has stopped at times. It has to.**

 **As always thank you for reading and next time, hopefully, it will be the chapter I promised last time.**

 **/Love, Lysistrate**


	6. Chapter 6: The Door

**So it's finally here. The Door. Probably not as crazy as some have hoped, probably very different, but I'm saving my crazy for more crazy stories haha. As I've gotten lot of wishes to keep this a T, I have. But it's a strong T I think so you have been warned!**

 **Guest:** Thank you very much, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

 **Maerk:** Thank you very much and you're right! We're keeping hope and keep going. And I'm so very sorry to hear about your mother! I send all thoughts to you and your family. The last chapter very correctly took place after Hiccup's friends visited and I'm glad you liked it even if it was hard to read. I can understand that, it was very heavy to wright as well. Wishing you all the best.

 **Noctus Fury:** We'll see more of Adgar, this story doesn't' follow a straight timeline so he will be more fleshed out. I love his character very much and want to keep him around a bit more.

Yes that is right! He is taking over the company! And I'm very happy to hear you like my stories, I love writing about these two for I think they fit so well together. And more is on the way, I'm working on a longer story again, but there is still a long time before it will be published. Also I should probably give you a cuteness warning for the end of this chap, don't want the overload to happen haha!

* * *

 **Roughly 3 years after the coffee stain**

Hiccup was listening without any real interest to the conversation going on around him. The only reason he had decided to follow the rest of the gang to the pub was because he didn't want to come home from work to an empty and dark apartment yet another day.

Elsa had been gone now for a month on a business trip to Japan to finish the final stages of big closure between their firm and the another in Japan. The deal had been the one every single one every lawyer at work had tried to snatch and Elsa had worked extremely hard to be the one who got it. She had been determined that no one would be able to say that she had gotten the deal simply because she was Adgar's daughter, and in the end no one could.

She had gotten it fair and square. She had gained the Japaneses' trust, so when they had told her they preferred to close the deal in Japan they both knew she had to go. Hiccup had even told her so before she even had had the chance to ask him about it. She had told him she was sorry to leave so soon after they had moved in together, it had only been two weeks, but he had just told her that this deal was all she should worry about at the moment.

And he really had meant it. Elsa had the right to make a career and he knew how much she wanted to prove herself. She had admitted to him early on that she always felt like she needed to do more simply because she was the chief's daughter and, to some extent, he had understood her even if he had never really experienced it himself with his own father.

He had however felt something similar shortly after it had been known he and Elsa was in a relationship. No one was unaware or could doubt that he had been hired for his merits and his skill, nor could they say anything about how he had established himself at the company, but in the very beginning some mutterings had been heard around him, questioning how his now personal connections with Adgar would play out. Just like Elsa, he had wanted to prove himself and show everyone he that he would always earn what was given, that their relationship didn't matter.

That Adgar was extremely professional always helped as well.

As for moving in together, it had been a very natural next step for him and Elsa to take. In fact, it hadn't made much of a difference since they literally had been living together anyway. They had spent most of their time togehter even before they became a couple but ever since they had finally buried their friendship, they had more or less had two homes.

So after some consideration, looking around and calculating what the cost would be for them if they got a place of their own, they had decided to buy a new apartment together. It was located in the middle of town and was of an older style. The kitchen needed some work, but their new home was big and the extra space was very welcome.

Of course since Elsa had left so close to them moving in, there were still a lot to be done before their new apartment could be called an actual home but in her absence, and with the help of Skype, Hiccup had finished as much as he could without her.

And even though they hadn't lived for long in their own apartment, they had barely spent any nights apart since they became a couple. Therefore, over last month, Hiccup had found out how extremely empty it was not having Elsa there with him. He missed everything about her of her, but mostly he missed that she simply wasn't there.

He missed her presence, seeing her read a book on the sofa, hearing her talk to one of their friends on the phone or seeing her work with some case she had to get finished. He missed that the nights when she went to bed after him, which was usually the case, she would sneak her arms around him and smile happily when he pulled her into his embrace.

He missed not seeing her when he woke up in the morning, her hair always a being a mess as she snored slightly. He would admire her for a moment before going up to put on the coffee, knowing she would wake up from the smell and join him to happily accept the mug he offered her ever morning. She was never fully awake before that that first cup of coffee in the morning and she always gave him a small kiss in thanks.

Their lives had become a pleasant routine over the last year, one that he had found out he loved. He had never been more in sync with another person, never felt like his life was more fulfilling. More... right.

But for the last month she hadn't been there. Or it was more than a month to be exact considering that the week before she left, Elsa had more or less been living at the office. She had come home extremely late only to sleep for four hours before she had been gone again before he awoke in the morning.

He was extremely happy for her and greatly impressed by her determination, but now he missed her and it was nothing wrong with admitting it.

It wasn't long until he would see her again though. He had spoken to her the day before and she was coming home again tomorrow. He was going to pick her up at the airport and then they would have the whole weekend together. He didn't care if the rest of her family wanted to see her as well, they would have to wait.

Though thinking about it, he highly suspected they wouldn't be able to keep their friends at bay. They would most likely barge in no matter how many locks put on the door.

And so now here he was, sitting in the crowded pub along with the rest of gang who had refused that he would be at home the day before Elsa came back home. Apparently they were certain he would just sit and pine for her, something he hadn't allowed himself to do since the day she left, but he had allowed them the amusement to think he did.

The gang were as easy going as they normally were. The latest news was that Eugene was planning to propose to Rapunzel. It was a secret no one was supposed to know about, so of course everyone knew about it except for Rapunzel herself.

However, Hiccup was suspecting she was not as oblivious as everyone thought. The night had been filled with a little too many references to marriage for her to be oblivious in his opinion.

Rising from his seat to go get another beer he once again felt how lucky he was he had become a part of their gang. Not only by moving here had he met Elsa, a woman he couldn't see his future without anymore, but he had found amazing new friends.

They were his extended family.

"Trying to supress the longing?" Kai asked behind the counter when Hiccup came up to the bar.

"Is it that obvious?" He replied, giving him a small smile that caused the blond bartender to chuckle.

"You're good at hiding it, but it shows Hic." Kai answered. "But it's good to know you really love my girl, otherwise she would know about your lack of sad faces."

At his response, Hiccup didn't doubt his words. Even though he had known Kai for two years now, he had never fully understood the strange relationship between him, Elsa and Jack. Elsa refused to admit that Kai treated her as exclusively as he treated Jack, but everyone else knew it was true.

The three of them had this strange battle constantly going on. They could speak to each other with one look and had no problem telling the truth to each other no matter how harsh it was. Normally a person would've become angry or offended at many of the things they could drop on each other, but the trio mostly just laughed or shrugged their shoulders as they admitted to whatever statement that was thrown their way.

Then of course there was also the flirting between Kai and either of the two siblings. It was a game between them, even if sometimes there seemed to be a hint of seriousness. Hiccup, Merida and Sven all used to roll their eyes when it happened, all of them knowing there was no use trying to understand the strange relationship between Kai and the siblings.

"So when is the lady of your heart returning home?" Kai asked him, putting down the phone that had been ringing just a moment before.

"Tomorrow. I'm going to pick her up at from the airport." Hiccup said, Kai just waving his hand in refusal when Hiccup offered his card to pay for the beer that had placed on the counter.

"I know of the troubles of the heart, it's on me Hic." Kai told him, chuckling when he saw Hiccup's slight frown. Hiccup had tried to get him to stop calling him "Hic" but it had been useless. The battle had fully been lost when Elsa had heard it the first time, giggled and said that it was "cute".

After that Kai had declared, much to Hiccup's horror, that the nickname would never go away.

"So do you have something planned for her when she comes home?" Kai asked with a small smile, waving to the other bartender to take over for a little while.

"Might have." Hiccup answered vaguely, thinking about the small box that was burning a hole in his drawer. He had bought the ring now when she was away. No one knew about it, not even Jack or her parents. It went a little against his own morals not to speak with Adgar and Idun first, but he knew Elsa wouldn't appreciate him asking for their permission.

Elsa could make her own decisions, as she so often had proven, and she was a force to be reckoned with when she wanted to. Even if her parents had said no, she wouldn't care if she wanted him.

And then she would bring down her wrath over all three of them, him for not asking her first and then her parents for not caring about her happiness.

So no one knew but he hoped they soon would.

If she said yes of course.

"You're thinking about something. Come on, I'll tell no one." Kai said, leaning on the counter with eyes full of curiosity. There was something about the man that just made you open up and Hiccup had to admit his nerves had been nagging at him since he hadn't spoken to anyone. It would be calming to just voice some of his nervousness and why not to Kai?

After all, he called himself the best tipped shrink in town and maybe it was about time Hiccup found out if that statement was true.

"I might have…" He began, trailing off and taking a deep breath, fidgeting slightly while trying to decide if he really should say something, only to stop when Kai drew in breath and a big sly smile spread over his five.

"You're proposing aren't you?" He asked with glittering eyes, Hiccup simply staring at him.

"How the hell did you figure that out?" He asked with disbelief.

"Please! Do you know how many men, and women, who come in here with the same face? Gloomy, worried and fidgeting while they're full of self-doubt and feeling sorry for themselves." Kai stated, Hiccup trying not to glare at the last part. "So I guess you're worried she'll say no?" Kai asked.

It was uncanny how close the words hit home, for Hiccup was indeed afraid Elsa would refuse him. He didn't doubt she loved him and he knew he loved her, but marriage was a commitment. She might not be ready or… well he didn't know but he hadn't gotten a yes until he had gotten a yes.

"Well she hasn't said yes…" He began, Kai interrupting him with a snort.

"Hic please! Elsa is crazy about you! She'll say yes and it'll be the best decision she's ever made since she put an end to your never-existing friendship. And that night ended well if I remember, at least from what I know. After all you two didn't come back inside." Kai grinned, laughing when Hiccup just stared at him.

Okay, this was just getting weird. This man was far too perspective for his own good and Hiccup suddenly wondered how much he really knew. After all it was a night he would never forget, but Kai? How much did he and Elsa talk about?

"Well, thanks for your support." Hiccup told Kai, the other man giving him a big smile.

"Never fear coming talking to me Hic, I can always spare an ear." Kai said with wink with glittering eyes and suddenly Hiccup wondered if he had gotten over some kind of threshold. But he also realized he actually felt calmer since Kai seemed so extremely confident Elsa would say yes.

Maybe Kai truly was a better shrink than Hiccup had thought.

Getting ready to walk back to his table, a young woman with long black hair and suddenly glided up next to him. Placing a hand subtly on his arm, she smiled up at him and introduced herself.

At her advance Hiccup sent a look to Kai who just shrugged while clearly trying to hold back a smile. Taking a deep mental breath, Hiccup thought about the best way to address her and tell her he wasn't interested.

He really didn't have the energy to deal with this tonight.

* * *

Elsa was tired when she came home, throwing off her coat the moment she got inside. The apartment was black and she felt a pang of disappointment. She had hoped Hiccup would be home, but then again the gang always went out on Thursdays and he had probably tagged along.

So while she was disappointed he wasn't home, she was still happy that he didn't sit home and gloom. It was important they could be apart; it was never good to become too dependent on each other. She had had that problem with Hans. She hadn't realized it at the time, but he had always wanted them to do everything together and he had almost always kept an eye on her. Only recently had she realized it in reality had been a problem.

Still, she had missed Hiccup like crazy for the last month and the empty apartment felt extremely large and empty now when he wasn't here. Picking up her phone she called the pub hoping Kai would answer.

Thankfully he did.

"Darling, about time you called! Wait! You're not calling me from Tokyo are you? For if you are, you're paying." He told her, Elsa chuckling.

"No, we finished early and I managed to find a new ticket so I could get on an earlier flight. I didn't tell Hiccup last night since I wanted to surprise him. Is he there with the rest of the gang?" She asked.

"Hic is not just with the gang, he is with a special someone right now and is talking about the hardships of love." Kai answered, Elsa smiling at how he tried to bait her.

"I see. So is this special someone giving him any good advice? Should I be worried?" She asked, almost able to hear Kai's smile through the phone.

"He is given the best advice anyone could offer and had he not been so totally besotted with you you very much should have been. This special someone is quite a catch." He replied.

"I know; his boyfriend is one lucky guy." She laughed. "Happy to hear you're looking after him Kai." Elsa added more softly.

"Of course, someone needs to keep him from moping."

"Hiccup dosen't mope."

"He does now."

"Well, I'm coming by so he soon won't! But don't tell him!" She said, feeling giddy and how her tiredness left her at the thought of soon seeing Hiccup again.

"You can trust me to keep a secret dear." Kai answered, Elsa thanking him before hanging up. Giving herself a quick look in the mirror, she did a quick decision not to change and only brushed her hair quickly.

Sure her white blouse and black skirt was a little formal for the pub, but at least she wouldn't be underdressed.

Quickly grabbing a simple jacket, she set her pace towards the pub. Even if she and Hiccup had moved, they still had walking distance to the pub. It only took five minutes and when she reached it she saw that it was very crowded.

Walking inside her eyes scanned the pub and she at once noticed Jack's very blond hair at their usual table along with the rest of her friends, but Hiccup wasn't there.

Maybe he was still at the bar? He had been there when she called and if she knew Kai he would've kept him there as well. Looking over to the bar she felt a surge of joy rush through her when her eyes landed on him, only for her to halt when she saw a young woman gliding up next to him the moment he turned to leave.

She was dressed in a fitting black dress that showed far too much cleavage and her eyes were more than smoky. Not only that, she had the rudeness to take a light hold on his arm so he couldn't walk away.

Normally Elsa wouldn't have cared very much. She would've been irritated and that was it. She knew Hiccup could fend off the female population, often much more kindly than she thought was needed, but he really could take care of himself. Also, she trusted him fully.

But tonight was not a normal night. Not only had she not seen him for three weeks, the week before she left for Japan she had only been home for a few hours to sleep. It had pained her that she was being so absent, having buried herself so much in work, but all the time Hiccup had encouraged her and it had only made her love him even more.

It had also made her promise to herself that she would make it up to him.

So it had been a month without them spending nearly any time together and God did she miss him. For the past month she had gone to sleep in a cold bed where she had had no reason to stay awake for a little while longer to hear Hiccup's calm breathing and steady heartbeat. There had been no one she could rant to about stubborn clients and in the morning no one greeted her with a loving smile that made her feel warm inside.

She had even missed how Hiccup sometimes could sit and ponder over some strange equation or voice a question loudly to her even though they both knew she had no idea what he was talking about. Even less give him an answer. But then again, he never really expect her to, he was just liked voicing his thoughts out loud sometimes.

She had even missed their terrible attempts learning how to cook.

On top of this she had been on a plane for God knows how long and done everything in her power to come home simply she had wanted to see him a little earlier. And now some other woman was walking up to him before she even had even been given the chance to say hello?

No, this was most certainly not a normal night and she was far too tired to act like it was.

Therefore, instead of simply ignoring the situation and waiting for Hiccup to handle it, Elsa didn't even try to fight the irritation and jealousy that welled up inside at the fact that this unknown woman was clearly flirting with the man she had been without for so long.

Looking down at her right hand the old gold ring she had inherited from her grandmother glowed up at her. It was very simple and she always wore it on her right hand.

Well not anymore.

Taking it off, Elsa stalked over to Hiccup and the unknown woman.

"He is not interested." She said with venom, the big boobs glaring at her while Hiccup turned around and stared at her as if he had seen the ghost. It was a little cute.

"And why wouldn't he be interested?" The boobs asked. "He hasn't really given me any reason to believe he isn't." She smiled at Hiccup who frowned at her.

"I haven't said a single word to you yet." He answered, a slightly sour look flashing over the woman's face before she turned her attention back to Elsa.

"And who are you to say he is not interested anyway? Are you his stalker or something? I wouldn't be surprised." The woman replied giving Elsa a degrading look which caused Elsa to feel the anger boil up inside.

"Oh I'm his stalker alright, though I'm entitled to be." Elsa snapped, holding up her left hand and wiggling a little with her fingers. The simple golden ring she had just put on her ring finger glowed slightly in the light and when the other woman saw it her face fell once again while Elsa felt some grim satisfaction at the sight.

Suddenly feeling a warm hand on her lower back, all logic thought left her though as her mind turned blank and only focused on the feeling of that touch she had missed so much. Turning to look at Hiccup she found he stood even closer to her than before and that his shock over her sudden appearance was apparently gone.

Instead his green eyes were full of love and dark with fire as they locked with hers. Suddenly the place on her back where his hand was lightly resting felt like small flames slowly spreading over body. She felt her breath hitch a little in her throat and the noises from the pub suddenly seemed strangely distant.

Then he broke her gaze and Elsa blinked as she noticed the other woman staring at them. Elsa had even forgotten she was there.

"As you see I think I'll be fine, after all this is a stalker is one I chose willingly." Hiccup told her, the woman snorting and doing her best to keep her head high as she walked away from them.

"Someone has the thorns out." Hiccup said the moment she was out of sight, turning back to Elsa with a small amused smile.

"I'm entitled; I've been on a plane for hours." She responded, feeling how his hand started to make small circles on her back. It caused the small flames to grow and she was suddenly being extremely aware of his warmth next to her. She had forgotten how warm he was, how his skin burned hers.

"Yes, I think that gives you some right." Hiccup told her, Elsa not daring to meet his eyes at the moment in fear of what her raging emotions would make her do.

She was suddenly extremely reminded that they hadn't even shared a real kiss in a month. Only a peck on the lips and a kiss on the cheek before she left that morning to Tokyo since she hadn't wanted to wake him when he was asleep.

He never slept as much as he needed.

Trying to clear her mind, Elsa tried to come up with a response.

"It gives me all the right and now you know I actually do understand why you get so annoyed when…" Her eyes had on their own accord travelled to his, only for her to find that his green eyes were locked on her intensely, following her every feature.

But that wasn't the reason she lost her breath. It was because his eyes had locked on her lips and she didn't doubt similar thoughts to her own was rushing through his head.

Letting out a shivering breath she stood frozen as Hiccup gently stroked her cheek, his thumb caressing it slightly before he gently pulled her closer to him and leaned down to her level. Feeling her heart race wildly, she closed her eyes as his lips ghosted over hers in a soft kiss that sent shivers through her.

It was so gentle and still it made her mind turn fully blank, except for a small voice reminding her they were in a public place. Pulling back slightly, she blinked at him and she let out a shivering breath before she could continue, the disappointed look in his eyes making a jolt of energy run through her.

"When you have to hunt men away." She finished, swallowing when his hand gently continued stroking her cheek and the fire in her burned even more. There was something in his eyes, something almost feral.

She had always liked that he was a little protective of her, often butting in when a man tried to approach her, and while she had hunted away women from him before she had never really done it in front of him like this. He had never really seen her protective side even if he had known it was there.

"Yes, it's a pain." Hiccup only told her quietly, his eyes never leaving hers as she felt how her heart started to race again in her chest. "A little protective are we both?" He asked, his voice low as he took her hand and looked at the ring that had served as a fake engagement ring. The tension between them was almost too much; in fact, it was painful.

"You're mine and I'm yours, I don't care who knows. I want them to." She whispered to him, her heart racing widely in her chest again when his eyes met hers again, if possible even more burning than before.

"You know if you need to freshen up Elsa, you can use the back." A voice suddenly broke through their haze, Hiccup staring at Kai with a deadly glare.

"What?" Elsa asked, feeling how the blood rushing within her had killed all other sounds. It took her a second to register Kai's pointed look, another to realize they were still standing in the bar. Sure they hadn't really done anything, but the heavy tension between them had to be more than enough.

"You're right, I'll just…" She began, taking a new breath. "I need to…" She trailed off again unsure what to say and just walked out of Hiccup's embrace as she rushed behind the bar towards the area normally closed off for staff members only. She hadn't even noticed how his arms had snuck around her.

Breathing heavily she opened a random door in the corridor and walked inside, leaving it open behind her.

Okay, so she needed to calm down. Sure she had missed him but this… just at the mere thought of his burning eyes Elsa felt the fire flare up within again. Her own desire was so powerful that it made her whole body ache. She couldn't control this, this was… this was…

She let out a laboured breath when she heard the door close behind her and then she felt two warm hands sneak around her waist. A warm breath appeared by her neck and his hands pulled up her blouse, sneaking underneath to lightly massage her skin.

He had followed her just like she had wanted him to, that's why she had left the door open.

She felt herself starting to tremble as she leaned against him, feeling the excitement coarse through her when feeling he was just as affected by her as she was by him.

"I thought you were coming tomorrow." He whispered, his lips ghosting over her neck.

"I got off early." She answered, gasping when he kissed her right under her ear.

"And you didn't tell?"

Finally regaining some control over her body, Elsa turned around in his arms, pushing him back until his back hit the door behind them. Leaning in close to him she felt his whole body tense up and she smiled when he closed his eyes and swore quietly.

"I wanted to surprise you." She answered, allowing her lips to ghost over his jaw, pulling back when he tried to kiss her. "I think I did." She smiled at him.

"You did." He answered, taking a hold of her and holding her in place as he gave her a soft kiss that made her shiver. She could feel his smile against her lips before he drew back slightly. "And I'm defiantly not complaining." He told her, Elsa finally having had enough of the burning in her veins. It was driving her crazy, pulsing through her with every heart beat. She needed it to be quenched. She needed him.

Pulling him to her, she pushed him back against the door as she captured his lips with her own.

Immediately Hiccup's arms went around her waist, pulling her closer and locking her to him. His hands were traveling over her, both of them wanting to be as close to each other as possible.

The mere kiss made her soar and soon they both started breathing more heavily as they tried to catch their breaths. She felt all of her longing well up inside, all that had been building up for almost a month. She need this, she needed him. She needed to know he was here, that he truly loved her.

She needed him to know how much she loved him.

Panting she tried to get some control of her breathing, but his hands only pulled her back to him as he kissed her again. Every kiss, every touch, was heated, rushed and desperate. She had missed him so much.

"We're at the bar." Hiccup whispered against her neck.

"I know, I don't care." Elsa replied, gasping slightly at his feather light kisses. He was teasing her and she knew it. As a response she traced light kisses at the base of his neck, smiling when his hold on her increased.

"You're right. Fuck it." He said, taking a hold of her waist and turning her, pushing her back with a thud against the door instead. For a moment they stared at each other, Elsa marvelling over the softness in his eyes even now when they were dark pools of fire and want.

"You're so beautiful." He whispered, Elsa feeling the tears well up in her eyes. "I'm not letting you go soon again."

"I won't let you." She answered, soaring when he kissed her softly but soon it turned more heated once again and desperate once again.

Reaching for his jeans she trembled when she felt how one of his hands moved down her leg and started to push up her skirt. His touch left a burning trail of electricity and she leaned her head against his chest, holding back a moan when he pushed the skirt up over her hips.

"Maybe I should drag women away from you a little more often?" She whispered with a grin, Hiccup chuckling as he glowed down at her.

"Please do love." He told her, before silencing her again and taking a new firm hold of her as he pressed her against the door and she wrapped her legs around his waist. She drew in a breath as the world became right again.

All that existed was him, the way he was holding her close, his warm breath on her neck and his scent that seemed to invade her from every direction.

The fire between them kept building as they whispered silent words to each other. Every movement was old as time and erased the time they had been apart, all the longing, all the sleepless nights. They were finally together again like they were meant to be. They had found each other even if they had been born with a vast ocean between them. They were one and they were one again, just as they were meant to be.

Feeling the fire between them reaching its peak, Elsa didn't even notice she was whispering his name like a mantra when the world finally fell away around her. Coming back from the high, her whole body trembled in his hold and she looked into his green eyes which were full of adoration and love. Elsa feeling the same emotions rushing through her.

His chest was heaving along with hers, the built up tension which had nearly suffocated them slowly starting to ebb away.

"I missed you." She whispered in his ear, Hiccup smiling lovingly before gently capturing her lips in a slow kiss that was so extremely different from the desperate, frantic ones they'd just shared. This one was just full of love, not desire.

"I figured." He told her, Elsa chuckling breathlessly as her week legs landed back on the floor. Taking a new gentle hold of his face, she kissed him again before she suddenly started giggling as she realized the absurdity of the situation.

"What?" He asked her with a smile, pushing away some hair which had fallen down into her face.

"We're still at the bar." She managed to get out while he just looked at her in amusement.

"I know and I made you aware, just like I've done before." He told her with a grin, Elsa feeling how her whole body was literally humming with joy and content.

"If you refer to the office, I made you aware first." She smiled back at him, Hiccup's grin growing.

"Yes, but only the first time." He replied.

"Dear me, what must you think of me for being such a unladylike woman kind sir? Especially considering my behaviour in the company of such a _gentleman_ as yourself?" She giggled, his green eyes glowing down at her with amusement.

"Are you saying I'm not a gentleman?" He asked, Elsa smiling up at him.

"That is exactly what I'm saying."

"Then you don't need to worry, for considering this I don't think I can call you a lady ever again either." He answered, Elsa glowing up at him.

"Touché! Though to be honest, I like this better." She whispered.

"As do I." He chuckled, Elsa giving him a peak on the lips before meeting his eyes again. She never got tired of them or of him, so when his arms snuck around her waist and he carefully pulled her closer she felt only a deep happiness surge through her as she rested her head against his chest. Closing her eyes, she relished in the warmth as his arms closed around her.

God she had missed this more than anything. Just being close.

"For the record though" Hiccup began softly "I don't care for a lady when I already have the strongest, intelligent and most beautiful woman by my side. And I sometimes still can't believe she has chosen me or deems me worthy of her love." He told her softly, Elsa pulling back a little to look up at him, and she was not surprised at all to see a small mischievous glow mixing with the love in his eyes when he the suspicious look on her face.

"Are you trying to sound like a sappy romance novel?" Elsa asked, eyeing him closely.

"Sappy? I just told you I love you and I'm the luckiest man alive with inspiration from one of your favourite novels which, for the record, you've desperately been trying to get me to read for the last two years, and you call it sappy?" He smiled down at her, Elsa rolling her eyes.

"Yes I do, for if that's what you tried to achieve you failed miserably." She replied.

"You started it. Besides that really hurt my feelings." He answered with a smile which was as far from hurt as anything ever had been.

"I think you'll survive." She responded drily.

"I don't know, I might fall into despair from the fact that my heart..." He began, Elsa interrupting him by reaching up and giving him a small kiss.

"Just shut it." She muttered with a smile, hitting him lightly on the chest at seeing the look on his face. Still she couldn't help to suddenly imagine Hiccup in the 19th century. He probably would've fitted in very well. Perfectly even. He would've been the most stunning gentleman in all of Austen's novels and imagining him with a cravat and…

Seeing the smug look on his face at the fact she was staring at him with a slightly dazed look, she hit him in the chest once more time a little harder but he didn't even react. Instead he only laughed before kissing her softly, his lips moving gently with hers while his arms around her waist pulled her closer into his embrace. Breaking the kiss, Elsa rested her head on his chest, shivering slightly at the pleasant warmth from his hand stroking her lower back.

"I love you." She whispered.

"I love you too." He answered, kissing her on the head. As he did, her heart ached painfully in her chest but it felt wonderful. It ached from loving him, for she loved him more than she had ever loved anyone before. She couldn't imagine life without him anymore, she couldn't see a future where they didn't grow old together when this all felt so right.

"If the gang finds out about this we'll never hear the end of it." She murmured him.

"Probably." Hiccup only answered calmly, one of his hands stroking her hair.

"If anyone asks where you went we can say we left at once."

"I hardly think anyone will ask once they know you're back. Trust me when I say Jack makes sure no one does." Hiccup only chuckled.

"Maybe not, but we can still sneak out. Come home early. That's why I changed my flight after all. Besides a shower would be nice." She told him with a suggestive smile.

"Did I tell you how much I've missed you?" He asked softly, Elsa giving him a peak on lips.

"Maybe, but I wouldn't mind you telling me again." She said, feeling a current of energy run through her when his eyes darkened slightly once more.

"Perhaps I will lady Elsa." He told her, making her roll her eyes as offered his arm to her. But she still accepted it. When he opened the door, both of them forgot to check that no one was there and missed that Kai, who had been back to grab some new bottles of beer, saw them walk out of the storage room and disappear out the back door.

At the sight, he only stared after them with a big smile which grew even more when he realized that both Merida and Eugene now owed him money. That they never learned not to bet against him was quite amusing.

Getting out into the night, Elsa and Hiccup smiled as they walked down the streets, happily unknowing they had not been as secretive as they thought. When they were nearly home, Elsa suddenly stopped in the middle of the street. Staring up at Hiccup, he only gave her a questioning look.

"I've been trying to get you to read Austen for two years and you've refused to do it. So what on earth changed your mind?" She asked him, missing the flash of panic in his eyes before he concealed it behind a soft expression.

"I missed you." He told her simply, hoping she wouldn't see through him. After all it wasn't a lie. It was just one version of the truth.

Eyeing him carefully Elsa couldn't shake the feeling he was hiding something from her, after all they had become extremely good at reading each other, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't figure out what it could be and finally she decided that for tonight, it didn't matter.

Therefore, she simply gave him a soft smile and took his hand in hers once more as they kept walking down the streets together as they were meant to. Elsa unknowing that Hiccup's true purpose for reading Austen was very connected to a certain ring he soon hoped would no longer be burning a hole in his drawer.

* * *

 **There it is! It wasn't a front door, that was Astrid's own conclusion, but it sure was a door. The question is, how did Merida know and what was the bet about? All I can say is Kai is involved and he is curious man. Maybe something to find out in future chapters?**

 **And a proposal? What could Hiccup ever have in mind haha?**

 **Thank you all for reading, leave a review and tell me what you thought! What will happen next?**

 **Until next time,**

 **Lysistrate**


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